⏰  DWI ARREST IN JOHNSON COUNTY? THE 15-DAY ALR DEADLINE IS RUNNING.

You have 15 days from the date of notice of suspension to request an ALR hearing or your license is automatically suspended, regardless of what happens in the criminal case.

Lawyers in Cleburne, TX

Criminal Defense, DWI Defense, and Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Cleburne and Johnson County, Texas

Johnson County sits at the southern edge of the DFW Metroplex and includes Cleburne, Burleson, Joshua, Crowley, Alvarado, Keene, Venus, and the rural communities stretching toward the Hill County and Bosque County lines. It is a county where DPS troopers are active on I-35W and US 67, where the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office covers extensive rural territory, and where cases of every type from DWI to assault to drug offenses are heard at a single courthouse in Cleburne.

Deandra Grant Law serves Johnson County out of our Denton office at 1317 E McKinney Street, Suite 101A. We appear in Johnson County courts regularly. Managing Partner Deandra Grant has more than 30 years of criminal and DWI defense experience across North and Central Texas. She holds a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Science and the ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist designation. Partner Douglas Huff holds the same designation and has completed advanced digital forensics training.

How Johnson County Cases Work

Criminal and DWI cases throughout Johnson County (whether the arrest was made by Cleburne PD, Burleson PD, Joshua PD, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, or DPS troopers on I-35W, US 67, US 174, or TX 171) are all prosecuted by the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office and heard at the Guinn Justice Center, 204 S Buffalo Ave, Cleburne, TX 76033.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office covers the unincorporated areas of the county including Alvarado, Keene, Venus, Rio Vista, Godley, and the rural communities between the incorporated cities. I-35W through Burleson and Cleburne is one of the primary enforcement corridors in the county, with DPS maintaining an active presence. All of these agencies feed into the same DA’s office and the same courthouse.

Blood draw routing.  Blood draws in Johnson County DWI cases are typically sent to Texas DPS crime labs for blood alcohol and drug analysis. The laboratory’s methodology, analyst qualifications, calibration records, chain of custody documentation, and preservative protocols are all subject to forensic examination. A DPS lab result is a measurement produced by a process and every step of that process can be evaluated for error.

DWI Defense in Johnson County

A DWI arrest anywhere in Johnson County (on I-35W near Burleson or Cleburne, on US 67 heading toward Glen Rose, on US 174 through Joshua, or on a rural county road) carries the same legal consequences and the same defense opportunities.

The ALR hearing  must be requested within 15 days of notice of suspension to prevent automatic license suspension.

DWI penalties in Texas range from a Class B misdemeanor on a first offense (up to 180 days jail, $2,000 fine, one-year license suspension) through third-degree felony on a third offense (2 to 10 years prison, $10,000 fine). A second DWI carries a minimum jail sentence even when probation is granted.

What the Defense Examines

Was there reasonable suspicion for the stop? Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 38.23, evidence from an unlawful stop is suppressible with no good faith exception. Were the field sobriety tests  administered correctly and scored properly? Does the blood result from the DPS lab accurately reflect the BAC at the time of driving? The rising BAC defense (which requires pharmacokinetic analysis that a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Science makes possible) may apply if alcohol was still absorbing at the time of the stop.

Criminal Defense in Johnson County

Criminal charges in Johnson County such as assault and family violence, drug possession and delivery, theft, gun crimes, sex offenses, probation violations, and warrants are prosecuted by the Johnson County DA’s office and heard at the Guinn Justice Center on S Buffalo Ave in Cleburne.

Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 38.23 , evidence obtained through an unlawful stop, a defective warrant, or a constitutionally defective search is suppressible with no good faith exception. In Johnson County, where a significant share of enforcement occurs on I-35W and the rural highway corridors, the stop analysis is often where the defense begins.

In digital evidence cases (fraud, online offenses, sex crimes involving electronic communications) Doug Huff’s digital forensics training means the defense can better evaluate the prosecution’s digital evidence. For federal criminal matters, Of Counsel James Lee Bright brings more than 25 years of federal trial experience. Johnson County federal cases are heard in the Northern District of Texas.

Personal Injury in Johnson County

Johnson County’s location on the I-35W corridor is one of the busiest commercial trucking routes in Texas. It creates significant motor vehicle and truck accident exposure throughout the county. US 67, US 174, and TX 171 also generate regular accident traffic. If you have been injured in a car accident, truck accident, dog attack, or another incident caused by someone else’s negligence in Johnson County, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.

Texas has a two-year statute of limitations for most personal injury claims. Acting quickly preserves critical evidence (accident scene conditions change, dashcam and surveillance footage is overwritten, and witnesses become harder to locate). We handle motor vehicle and commercial truck accidents, dog bites and animal attacks, and premises liability including negligent security throughout Johnson County.