Category Archives:Court
Getting into Trouble While on Vacation
Some Options for Out of Towners Who Run into the Law While on Vacation
It’s probably not the best idea in the world to get in trouble when you are on vacation, or visiting another city. It makes it very hard on you both logistically and financially. I have run into this problem quite a bit as of late. On average I might get 1 or 2 cases a year from out of towner’s who either partied too hard, or made a dumb mistake while they were here. The problem ends of being that we lose a lot of potential options when you cannot commit yourself to living in Harris County.
Harris County Pre-Trial Diversion Program
Sometimes, especially for first offenders, there are programs available that can lead to dismissals. One of the programs, the pre-trial diversion program, requires individuals to complete all of their conditions in Harris County. A Pre-Trial diversion is a type of program that allows you to complete a probation-like program while your case is still open and pending, and allows you to earn a dismissal. Because the pre-trial diversion is a Harris County specific program, it cannot be transferred to another county (unlike some probations can be).
I had a client who lives 4 hours away, and while that isn’t too far, it’s just far enough to where it would make it tough to travel to Houston 2 or 3 times a month. Before, out of towner’s were not considered at all for the program, but I was told in this case that he is eligible for the program, but would have to commit to coming down for monthly meetings, random drug tests, community service, classes, etc in Harris County.
The Issues Around Living Far From Harris County
While this option is a no brainer for residents of Harris County and surrounding communities, it is a much tougher decision when you live out of town. To make it worse, you cannot transfer a probation that is 6 months (what he was being offered). So if he wanted to do a deferred adjudication to try to avoid a conviction, we actually would have had to ask to do MORE probation just to allow him to do his probation in his home town. My client has expressed interesting in just paying a fine because it is the easiest thing to do. That is the worst idea possible as it is a lifetime conviction, and something that will potentially keep an individual from getting jobs/apartments for the rest of their life.
It’s unfortunate that people feel stuck in these situations. It is never a good idea to get in trouble, but it’s a horrible idea to get into trouble far from home.
Case Results: Possession of Criminal Instruments and More
Positive Results on Hit and Run, DWI and Assault-Family Member Cases
Today was a fairly busy attorney day, and I was in a bunch of courts. My first stop was a hit and run case. This hit and run case was different than most cases since my client was accused of hitting a cement post in front of a business (not another vehicle as we typically see). A lot of people don’t realize that if you damage property you should either contact the owner, or leave a note. Luckily, we helped our client get an agreement to dismiss this hit and run case, since no one was injured. Everyone was only concerned that the business is made whole with regards to money.
Had a quick reset on an assault-family member case that is very defensible and is likely either going to get dismissed or end up in trial. We also did a reset on a DWI case where we are still waiting on evidence. We finally got the dash cam video, so I need to review that with my client so we can decide together how we are going to proceed.
Possession of Criminal Instruments Case
And the most interesting case I saw today is a charge that in my opinion is pretty silly. Its along the lines of possession of criminal instruments. You can be charged if an officer believes that you are using normal household items, and were planning on using them in a crime. For example: a person gets charged with breaking into a car in his past. If an officer pulls him over today and he has things in his car that look like they could be used to break into a car (crow bars, tire irons, bricks, pliers, etc), you can be charged with a crime. This is pretty silly in my opinion, unless there is darn good proof that something was imminent. If someone is just driving around with tools, I think it is ridiculous to charge them. It calls for way too many assumptions on the officer’s part.
Subjective Charges and its Impact
The problem in general with charges that are subjective, is even if the officers are wrong, the defendant is still affected even if his case is dismissed. They go to jail, they get their vehicle towed, they have to pay a bond to get out of jail, they have to spend big money on a lawyer, they have to miss work multiple times to go to court, etc. It’s not fair, but it’s one of the many problems with the legal system.
Case Results
- DWI – Reset
- FSGI – Set for Dismissal
- Assault-FM – Reset
Criminal Statute of Limitations in Texas
Statute of limitations is basically the time period that the state of Texas has to bring charges against someone. These time periods are different based on the type of case, the severity of the case, whether it was a violent crime, etc. If the time passes and the state has not brought charges, then they can never prosecute that case.
Pre-Trial Diversion Changes in Harris County
There are changes coming for the Pre-Trial Diversion Programs by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The most important change has to do with the ability of an individual to apply for an expunction on the case.
3 Cambios importantes al programa de desviación previo al juicio en el Condado de Harris
Hay cambios que se avecinan para los programas de desvío de Cuestiones Preliminares de la Oficina del Fiscal de Distrito del Condado de Harris. El cambio más importante tiene que ver con la capacidad de un individuo para solicitar una expurgación sobre el caso.
Cambios de Duración del programa de Diversion Previo al Juicio
En antes, cuando era aceptado en un programa de desviación previa al juicio (intervención) tenia que firmar un largo contrato con el Estado de Texas. Estos programas solían ser de 1 año para los delitos menores y en cualquier lugar a partir de 1-3 años por delitos graves. Ahora, todos los delitos menores para desvíos preventiva (en excepción el programa de DWI que es muy diferente) son 6 meses de duración.
Desviación previo al juicio: Requisito de Servicio a la Comunidad
Otro cambio en el Programa de Desviación de Cuestiones Preliminares es la cantidad de servicio comunitario requerido. Antes, la cantidad de servicio a la comunidad en el contrato era de 80 horas, que ascendieron a 10 días completos o 20 días y medio de trabajo voluntario. Esto fue muy difícil para los individuos que eran estudiantes de tiempo completo o aquellos que trabajaban a tiempo completo. Ahora los nuevos contratos sólo requieren 16 horas, que está a sólo 2 días de servicio comunitario. Esto es mucho más razonable, y no hay excusa para completar las horas.
Desviación Previo al Juicio: Intervención de Cuestiones Preliminares y expurgación
En mi opinión, el cambio más importante para el Programa de Desviación de Cuestiones Preliminares en el Condado de Harris tiene que ver con la solicitud de una expurgación. En el antiguo contrato, se les dijo que los individuos mediante la introducción del programa, que están de acuerdo de no buscar una expurgación durante al menos 2 años a partir de la fecha en que el programa ha terminado y su caso es despedido. Así que en un caso normal hurtos delito menor, se necesitarían 3 años (1 año de desvío juicio previo, 2 años de espera), además de en cualquier momento ante el tribunal que se tardó en conseguir realmente en el programa, por lo general 60 a 90 días. En virtud de los cambios determinados casos, tales como el robo, será inmediatamente elegible para expunctions. Esto significa que la misma persona que fue acusado de robo de ahora podría buscar una expurgación después de sólo 6 meses en lugar de más de 3 años.
Sin embargo, algunos casos aún tendrán un período de espera de 2 años. Algunos de esos casos son:
- Asalto
- Asalto-Miembro de la Familia
- Amenaza terrorista
- Conducta mortal
- Resistencia al arresto
Delitos menores Clase A no mencionados anteriormente tendrán 1 año esperando períodos en lugar del antiguo período de 2 años. Y cualquier otro delito menor de clase B no tendrá ningún período de espera.
Esto es, por supuesto, siempre sujeta a cambios, ya que es una política de la Oficina del Condado de Harris del Fiscal del Distrito. Pero como es, en el momento de la escritura, esto es un gran cambio para los que podría ser la mala suerte de estar pasando por este proceso. Si tiene preguntas específicas, póngase en contacto con nuestros abogados sobre su caso.
Protect Your Future on Misdemeanor Theft Cases
Every day in the courthouse I see young adults with no criminal record taking plea deals on misdemeanor theft cases. The problem is, they are not protecting their future. In my opinion, theft is the absolute worst type of misdemeanor you can have on your record. No one is ever going to want to hire someone who they think is a thief. For some reason, many people do not understand this, or are not given good advice.
Every day in the courthouse I see young adults with no criminal record taking plea deals on misdemeanor theft cases. The problem is, they are not protecting their future. In my opinion, theft is the absolute worst type of misdemeanor you can have on your record. No one is ever going to want to hire someone who they think is a thief. For some reason, many people do not understand this, or are not given good advice.
Typically on theft cases in Harris County you will have 4 options. Option number 1 is a jury trial. Everyone has the right to fight their case and have a jury trial. Unfortunately, many of these cases are not easy to defend as the typical situation involves someone shoplifting on camera from a major retailer, and getting caught with the merchandise outside of the store. So in this type of situation many times it is best to try to reach a plea deal.
The next option is the best option and that is a Pre-Trial Diversion. A Pre-Trial Diversion is a 6 month program in Harris County where your court date is reset for 6 months. During that time (while your case is still pending), you complete what is essentially conditions similar to a probation. Requirements usually include the completion of an anti-theft class, community service, random drug tests, a fine, monthly meetings. At the completion of the program, if the individual successfully completes it, the case is dismissed. This is a true dismissal that is eventually eligible for expunction, which is a destruction of the records.
If for some reason you are not accepted into the pre-trial diversion program, deferred adjudication is the next best option. This can be anywhere from 6-12 months depending on the court and prosecutor. The difference with deferred is you actually plead guilty, and the case ends. You then start probation, which has similar conditions as above. If you finish deferred adjudication successfully you will avoid a conviction on your record. The problem with deferred adjudication is that your arrest record is still visible. If someone pulls a background check on you, and they see you were on deferred adjudication they are going to know that you pled guilty. The only reason you avoided a conviction was because of probation. Jobs, apartments, schools, etc will still hold that against you. To remedy this you can partially seal your record through a petition for non-disclosure (which you can read about in my past blogs), but this only partially seals your record.
The worst option of the bunch is sitting it out in jail or simply paying a fine. Both of those require guilty pleas, and are lifetime convictions that you can NEVER take off of your record. So you will basically be having to explain this every single time you apply for a job for the rest of your life (if you even get an interview). Too many people take this option because it’s the easy way out. They are told, “pay $300 and it’s over with, no probation”. But it is horrible for you! Protect your future!