• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Penalty for contributing alcohol to a minor?

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

dollarsign8705

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas

I received a citation yesterday for furnishing alcohol to a minor. I have a clean record, no prior arrests or convictions. What kind of penalties am I looking at?

Am I realistically facing any jail time?

Thaks for the input.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
 


CavemanLawyer

Senior Member
Realistically facing jail time? Its hard to say. Technically you are absolutely facing jailtime because the charge is a class A misdemeanor with a range of punishment from anywhere up to a year in jail or two years probation and/or a $4,000 fine.

Realistically, these cases often get plead way down but it depends on your jurisdiction because some DA's offices take this more seriously than others, and some have more pressure from TABC for mandatory jail time...even if its just a few days. I have seen some offices have a 10 day minimum jail sentence while others simply dismiss if you take the TABC alcohol awareness class.

So... what county are you in?
 

Some Random Guy

Senior Member
Also, was it a straightforward situation as you described, or were other factors involved (car accidents, hospitalization, deaths) due to the alcohol provided? The entirety of the situation may affect the DA's handling of the case.
 

dollarsign8705

Junior Member
I am in college station (brazos county). There were no arrests or injuries. We were just spotted by the TABC in the parking lot of specs. Do you know if brazos county is strict or do they just want money?
 

CavemanLawyer

Senior Member
I don't know if Brazos County is liberal on this type of crime but since this is a college town my thoughts are that they are in fact very liberal. Usually people charged with this crime are the subjects of sting operations also. They have a minor go into a store and try to buy alcohol and the entire transaction is either video or audio recorded. These are the types of cases where DA's offices may have a set policy on punishment since they typically have pretty irrefutable evidence. Since this is not the case with yours I'd think there's be more room for negotiation.

Really all you can do is go to court and see what the State's offer is. It might be to reduce to a class C with a fine and if so its hard to pass that up. Having an attorney will always help.
 

dollarsign8705

Junior Member
I hired a lawyer.

I got a $1500 fine, $383 in court costs, 6 months probation, and 120 hours of community service.

All of that plus lawyer fees cost over $3K
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top