Reporting Suspicion of Drunk Driving In Texas

In State v. Stolte, 991 S.W.2d 336 (Tex. App.--Fort Worth 1999, no pet.) a person using a cell phone called the police to report that he was following a pickup truck that was being driven in a manner suggesting that the driver was intoxicated. See id. at 339. An officer was dispatched and stopped the pickup, which the caller had described by color and license plate number and had continued to follow. See id. The caller stopped behind the officer's police vehicle as instructed by the police dispatcher, was later identified, and testified at the suppression hearing. See id. at 340. The court of appeals held that "in light of the totality of the circumstances, including both the important public and private interests involved," the officer was justified in stopping the pickup. See id. at 343.