Susan and Cary Piel
Lynne Kelsey
The March 6 meeting of the Robson Ranch Republican Club offered a bounty of great information, including ways to stay out of jail!
Local issues kicked off the session, with former Mesquite ISD Assistant Superintendent and Robson Ranch resident Kathryn Bohling addressing the importance of electing a school board that reflects the desires of the citizenry, even if you don’t have children or grandchildren in local schools. She was followed by Corinth City Councilman Scott Garber, who described how developers do not want to deal with a community in chaos, which makes a strong and united city government essential for economic growth.
The featured speakers of the night were our own Honorable Judge Susan Piel and her husband, Attorney Cary Piel, who presented “What You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know” about legal issues. For example, many people believe that they won’t be arrested for a first DWI offense, but this is definitely not the case. Is a golf cart a motor vehicle? Yes! Are our streets considered a public place? Yes! Think about that the next time you stop for a few beers after a round of golf.
As in many states, the blood alcohol level for intoxication is .08, which is commonly confirmed by a blood test—the portable breathalyzers you see in TV shows are used for screening, but the results are not admissible in court. Using medications can also result in DWI, even though those don’t show up in blood tests. Not having normal use of either mental or physical faculties is also cause for authorities to intervene. Sadly, the Piels reported that the “mommy wine culture” often leads to finding unsafe drivers in the school pick-up/drop-off lines.
Marijuana may still be illegal in Texas, but according to the Piels, possession of under four ounces is generally considered a misdemeanor, while over four ounces constitutes a felony. However, if you were to buy marijuana out of state and transport it across the state line, it is always a felony, and if you bought it for someone else, guess what? You’re a drug dealer in the eyes of the law. And with edibles, the entire weight of the product counts toward the total, so even though it may have a tiny percentage of THC, the whole gummy or brownie or whatever will be counted.
Susan and Cary were extraordinarily informative and entertaining, keeping the crowd laughing while addressing some serious topics. We hope they’ll return with more data that will help keep Robson Ranch residents safe, healthy, and out of jail!