It may be the off season for the National Football League, but there generally is no off season for law enforcement and Louisiana drunk driving investigations. State police claim that Saints wide receiver Joe Morgan was found sleeping in his car early Saturday morning and he is now accused of driving while intoxicated.
Louisiana’s DWI laws can bring harsh consequences for a person convicted of the offense. But legal and factual questions may be involved in any type of DWI allegation. In the recent DWI allegations involving the Saints wide receiver, State Police claim that a caller reported a disabled vehicle along an expressway in Louisiana. The responding trooper claims that the 25-year-old wide receiver was sleeping in his car parked along the shoulder.
The trooper reportedly woke Morgan up from his slumber and eventually expended the scope of the encounter to a DWI investigation. Police claim that Morgan did poorly on roadside agility tests early Saturday and brought the wide receiver to jail on suspicion of drunk driving. Officials say that
Morgan tested well above the legal limit to drive under Louisiana law, registering 0.218 percent alcohol concentration in a DWI test.
Many Baton Rouge, Louisiana drivers may know that the legal limit to drive is set at 0.08 percent BAC. The law presumes impairment at that level.
However, drivers accused of DWI with higher alleged alcohol levels could face increased penalties if convicted of the offense. It is important to consider consulting legal counsel as soon as possible after a DWI arrest in Louisiana to help protect rights in the face of the criminal charges.
Source: The Times-Picayune, “New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Morgan arrested, booked with DWI in Jefferson Parish,” Michelle Hunter, May 29, 2013