Don’t drink and drive is an admonition to be taken to heart by not just the general public, but also by police officers, on and off duty. Recently, a Travis County, Texas, detective was terminated from his position when he was arrested and charged for drunk driving.
The 47-year-old officer, a 24-year veteran of the local force, faced two other charges as well as driving while intoxicated (DWI): possession of a controlled substance and the unlawful carrying of a weapon. Another officer who spotted him swerving all over the road stopped him and administered a field sobriety test. The driver showed definite signs of intoxication and was carrying prescription pills in his pocket and a firearm in his vehicle.
Travis County took immediate action and terminated the police officer — sending a message to not only other members of the force, but to the public as well. Even police officials may be punished for driving under the influence. There are consequences to driving while drunk: you can lose your job, or your life.
About The Author
Kenneth "Tray" Gober III, J.D., is the Managing Partner of Lee, Gober & Reyna, PLLC in Austin, Texas. A 2005 magna cum laude graduate of Texas A&M University and an honors graduate of Baylor Law School, Tray is admitted to the State Bars of Texas (Bar No. 300408), Colorado, and Pennsylvania, and to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. He represents personal injury clients across Texas in car accidents, truck accidents, autonomous vehicle claims, wrongful death, drunk driving collisions, premises liability, and product liability matters. He is one of Texas's most frequently quoted legal voices on the law surrounding autonomous vehicles and AI-driven transportation. Tray also serves as an adjunct professor of Paralegal Studies at the University of Texas School of Law.