Do v. Texas (original by presiding judge keller)
Annotate this CaseAppellant Phi Van Do was charged with DWI. A first-time DWI is a Class B misdemeanor unless the Stat also proves that an analysis of a specimen of the person’s blood, breath or urine showed an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or more at the time the analysis was performed (in which event, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor). Appellant’s charging instrument included the 0.15 allegation, but the State did not read the allegation until the punishment stage of trial. The parties agreed the 0.15 allegation was an element of the offense of Class A misdemeanor DWI. They also agreed that an error occurred, but they disagreed on what kind of error it was. The State also contended the court of appeals erred in its harm analysis. Assuming the parties were correct that 0.15 allegation was an element, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals concluded that the error would be the denial of the right to a jury determination of that element. The Court also concluded this purported error was harmless because the 0.15 allegation was uncontroverted and the record indicated defendant could not bring forth facts to contest it. Accordingly, the court of appeals’ judgment was reversed and the matter remanded for the trial court to address Appellant’s remaining point of error.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.