Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

Tennessee criminal lawyers defense lawyers know that the birth of each New Year is a time for celebration for many Americans. New Year’s Eve and New Years Day is customarily a big holiday for going out, visiting friends and family, and watching football. With so many people celebrating, law enforcement agencies closely monitor the public. The police will pay special attention to different types of alcohol related crimes in East Tennessee such as DUI, underage consumption, and public intoxication.

The public drunkenness statutes across the nation vary significantly in each jurisdiction. Tennessee has a public intoxication statute to protect not only the offender from danger, but also to protect the public from the offender. Under Tennessee law, a person commits the offense of public intoxication who appears in a public place under the influence of a controlled substance or any other intoxicating substance to the degree that:

• The offender may be endangered;
• There is endangerment to other persons or property; or
• The offender unreasonably annoys people in the vicinity. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-310 (2007).

Unless committed publicly, drunkenness is not a crime or a punishable offense. The offense of public intoxication is considered to be a Class C misdemeanor, the lowest level of misdemeanor in terms of seriousness. Class C misdemeanors in Tennessee are punishable as a maximum of thirty days incarceration, or a fine not to exceed fifty dollars, or both.

If you are charged with public intoxication, or any other alcohol related crime, contact a criminal defense attorney. Our criminal defense attorneys handle public intoxication charges in Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Morristown, Maryville, Newport, and Johnson City.