During jury trials, incarcerated defendants almost never appear in jail clothes or shackles. Even though judges tell jurors that pretrial detention means nothing in terms of guilt or innocence, there is a very real presumption of guilt if the defendant is in jail. Pretrial relea...
Parker County Criminal Defense Blog
A (Very Early) Look at the Case Against Cesar Sayoc
Prosecutors asked a Manhattan judge to hold Cesar Sayoc without bond until he can answer charges of mailing sixteen explosive devices to outspoken Trump critics. According to court documents, Mr. Sayoc has an extensive criminal history. He frequently attended far-right political...
Telenovela Actress Caught Shoplifting at Texas Store
52-year-old Danielle Arellano (a/k/a Daniela Castro) spent some time in the Bexar County Jail after she allegedly stole merchandise from a San Antonio outlet store. Court documents state that Ms. Arellano was shopping at a Saks Off Fifth in the Alamo City. As she strolled throug...
Beating Assault Family Violence Charges in Parker County
From start to finish, fear dominates assault-family violence proceedings. Fear, in some way, usually sparks the arguments that lead to assault accusations. But that is only the beginning. Prosecutors and judges are afraid as well. They are afraid that any given Assault FV case o...
Am I Now Eligible for Expunction?
In the social media era, pretty much everything is permanent public record. Even if you delete that questionable Tweet, someone probably made a screenshot of it. So, it's rather ironic that today's Texas expungement and sealing laws are broader than ever. Many people researched ...
How Accurate Are Breathalyzer Tests?
Today's Breathalyzer is based on the Drunk-O-Meter, which appeared in the 1930s. So, the Breathalyzer is a very well-established piece of technology. However, the Breathalyzer has also not changed very much since those early models. Thus, the flaws inherent in those early models ...
Should I File a Motion for Early Discharge?
If the football team wins on Sunday, the players often get an extra day off. The same thing is true regarding probation. If you do well, you are entitled to additional time off. But a motion for early release for probation means much more than a temporary respite or a longer lunc...
Four Important Tarrant and Parker County Probation Conditions
In most cases, probation is an excellent sentencing option. As long as your job offers some flexibility in terms of lunch hours and whatever, your boss may not ever know that you are on probation. However, probation is not for everyone. As outlined below, there are a number of c...
Some Key Lessons from Beto’s DWI
Pretty much every voter in the Lone Star State knows that Robert "Beto" O'Rourke was arrested for DWI in El Paso in 1998. His arrest, and the subsequent disposition, show how much DWI laws have changed in Texas over the last twenty years. According to the police report, Beto was...
Texas Inches Closer to Marijuana Legalization
Gov. Greg Abbot recently announced that he would sign a bill which reduced possession of a small amount of marijuana from a Class B to a Class C misdemeanor. Over the past several sessions, numerous House lawmakers have introduced various legalization bills. But none of them eve...
