DFW Airport Public Intoxication Lawyer

The growth of bars and restaurants inside airports all around the country means more and more people these days are having a drink—or a few—before heading to their departure gate.

Whether you’re at DFW or elsewhere in the US, having a couple drinks before takeoff isn’t a crime. However, drinking until you become publicly intoxicated and causing a scene with the ticketing agent can be.

Read more about DFW airport public intoxication below. If you need more information or help with your charges, reach out to our office today.

 Can You Get Charged with Public Intoxication at the Airport?

One common misconception people have about the offense of public intoxication is that it means it’s illegal to be in public after having a few drinks.

As anyone who’s been to DFW airport—or any other major American airport, really—in the last few years knows, judging by the growing number of restaurants, pubs, and taverns, there’s nothing illegal about imbibing a pre-boarding libation.

However, it is important that you take care to know your limits when it comes to drinking in public. The DFW airport is no exception. Making a call to a airport public intoxication attorney likely wasn’t part of your original travel plans.

Recent years have seen a slew of arrests for people acting disorderly and drunkenly while waiting to board their planes here in Dallas. Among notable cases was that of Richard Grieco, the actor of 21 Jump Street fame, who was booked by police at DFW in 2019 after being denied boarding by an American Airlines agent and charged with public intoxication.

According to the Texas penal code, a person could be guilty of the offense of public intoxication if they “appear in a public place while intoxicated to the degree that the person may endanger the person or another.”

In Texas, public intoxication is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by fines, and, potentially, some time sobering up in a county jail drunk tank.

For minors, the penalties can be more severe, up to/including community service hours, license suspension, and a mandatory alcohol awareness class.

Talk to an Airport Intoxication Attorney Now

The consequences of a public intoxication charge can be avoided by knowing your limits when drinking in public. But if you are picked up for public intoxication in Dallas, at DFW or otherwise, an experienced lawyer from The Law Offices of Jeff C. Kennedy can help you fight back.

Call us at 817-605-1010 or fill out the form below for more information.