30 Oct Drivers who refuse breath tests in Laredo this Halloween weekend face blood-draw warrants

Laredo police will seek warrants to take blood from motorists suspected of drunk driving who refuse a breath test during a three-day no-refusal DWI operation that begins Friday and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, police and prosecutors said.

The department is working with the Webb and Zapata County District Attorney’s Office, Doctors Hospital of Laredo and local courts. The hospital will help carry out the draws and test the samples, and court staff will handle the documents required to secure the warrants.

Assistant Chief Ricardo Gonzalez said officers will no longer simply ask drivers to volunteer a breath sample. A driver who declines will have blood taken, he said, and the result will become part of the evidence in any prosecution.

District Attorney Isidro “Chilo” Alaniz said officers will request a warrant when a driver who shows signs of intoxication refuses a breath test and will not work with the officer. He described drunk driving as a widespread problem nationally and said Halloween raises the stakes because so many children and families are out. Alaniz said the aim is to eventually run no-refusal operations all year in Laredo, though for now they are limited to occasions like Halloween.

On Saturday, 34 additional officers will patrol the city in a full-detail operation that emphasizes DWI enforcement, Police Chief Miguel Rodriguez said. The Texas Department of Transportation is supporting the extra personnel. Rodriguez said the department announced the policy in advance so that drivers know what to expect, and that keeping trick-or-treaters safe is its top priority.

Gonzalez also asked parents to keep a close eye on their kids during trick-or-treating.