UPDATED: Hays County Releases Numbers From New Year’s Eve “No Refusal” Initiative

*A correction was released by Hays County. The initial report showed two arrests by Kyle Police Department, however, one of those arrests occurred after the no-refusal program had ended.  This arrest was not included in the report of total of DWI arrests. 

Hays County’s No Refusal Holiday over New Year’s resulted in four blood warrants out of six DWI arrests.

Between the hours of 8:00 PM on December 31 and 4:00 AM on January 1, six drivers were arrested in Hays County for Driving While Intoxicated.

During that time, there were three arrests by the San Marcos Police Department, one by the Kyle Police Department and one each for the Hays County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Public Safety.

Two arrestees provided voluntary samples for testing and four blood search warrants were signed by County Court-at-law Judge Chris Johnson, who was available at the Hays County Jail between 10 PM and 6:30 AM New Year’s Eve to review requests for warrants and order blood draws by a phlebotomist who was present at the jail for the occasion.

Hays County Criminal District Attorney Wes Mau said:

“Although I understand that our law enforcement officers were very busy over New Year’s, I am pleased that only six of those incidents involved arrests for DWI with no reported fatal or serious accidents.

While the No-Refusal Holiday will certainly help ensure the intoxicated drivers are held accountable for their decisions that night, the goal of such events is to encourage the public to think twice before drinking and driving.

For that reason I hope to see no-refusal programs become the norm and that DWI arrests dwindle as more drivers avoid drinking and driving.”