Can a passenger be charged if drugs are found in the vehicle? Yes, it does happen frequently, however, there is usually not enough evidence to convict the passenger. A common example of a passenger getting arrested for drugs in the vehicle would be at a traffic stop. In this situation, the officer m...

As a general rule, a prior arrest or conviction impact on current case is not going to hurt at all. A prior conviction or arrest is not going to affect the defense’s chance of winning at trial. This is because when the individual is on trial accused of a crime, evidence of prior convictions or arr...

There are several different types of police encounters. One particularly common one is what the police like to call consensual, and occurs when they approach someone in public and start talking to them. While that is certainly permissible, anyone who is approached by a police officer can refuse to t...

Our client had a prior felony conviction and was looking at a minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted of possession with intent to deliver cocaine.Police officers had a tip that he was in possession of cocaine and knocked on his door. They claimed that the client allowed them to come in where the...

Our client was in court accepting probation for possessing a controlled substance. After appearing before the judge and meeting with a probation officer, she drove home. On the way she fell asleep and drifted onto the shoulder of the highway, running over a man who had parked on the shoulder with ca...

Any evidence or statements made by a person prior to their arrest may be used against them if the officer had reasonable suspicion supporting their decision to perform the detention. Once a person has been arrested, any statements made as a result of custodial interrogation cannot be used against th...

On Wednesday, a State district Judge exonerated 44-year-old John Earl Nolley for the 1996 murder of Sharon McLane. Nolley was released after 19 years in prison in May 2016 but was not declared innocent until a Texas judge signed an order following the emergence of new evidence. The order qualifies N...

If someone has been asked to go to a police station regarding an incident, they should call an attorney. There is no requirement for a person to comply with such a request. Once the individual contacts an attorney, that attorney can contact the police officer or detective to find out more informatio...

It was Christmas time and our client was going to walk to a holiday party. He stopped at his neighborhood convenience store to buy a scratch-off ticket – and was a winner! Just then a gang member walked in and pointed a gun at the store owner and demanded the cash. The gang member then pointed the...

Our client was stopped for a traffic violation and admitted to having a few drinks earlier. The client did okay on the field sobriety tests, but was arrested and submitted to a breathalyzer test – the result was .14. We were able to show the jury how unreliable the breathalyzer is and how the part...

Sting operations are often used by police to catch alleged sex offenders. Seven people were recently arrested in a Fort Worth online predator sting.Those arrested included a North Crowley High School teacher reported the Star-Telegram. They were accused of online solicitation of a minor following a...

The shooting of a police officer or another public official in Texas carries a capital murder charge. In the fall of 2017, a student at Texas Tech was charged with the killing of a university police officer.A report on NPR stated Hollis Daniels confessed to the killing of the university police offic...

Being charged with a DWI in Texas is a serious offense, even if nobody is hurt. If you kill another driver or another road user, you are likely to be facing a long time behind bars.Recently, a 44-year old man was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after he struck and killed a pedest...

Identity theft in Texas can be a complicated offense that causes years of problems for victims. In one recent report from El Paso, a defendant is accused of living on a false persona for years and even using it when he was arrested by cops for drunk driving.A report on Channel 5 News cited years of...

A Supreme Court ruling in 2017 that changes how Texas determines intellectual disability in Capital Murder cases is set to impact at least 10 Texas death row inmates.In March 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Texas death row inmate Bobby Moore. The nation’s highest court sent his case...

Prisons in Texas have a reputation for being uncompromising and even deadly places for those housed in them. When Hurricane Harvey hit the state in 2017, Texas inmates suffered serious deprivations, according to reports.A report in The Nation noted inmates in prisons across the state were left in in...

Austin has a police oversight committee. However, the refusal of the police to act on the recommendations of the citizen panel puts the 16-year experiment in jeopardy.The panel described the action police took over a 25-year-old man as an example of “what not to do” on a mental health call.The T...

On Thursday night, 26-year-old Roderick Farris was shot and killed at a home in South Fort Worth.The police came to know about the shooting when an individual stopped a patrol around 8:45 p.m. and sent the cops to a home at New York and Harvey avenues.The brother of Farris, who saw the shooting, tol...

Corruption crimes against politicians make big headlines. However, these kinds of offenses can be tenuous. Recently, prosecutors dropped criminal charges against state Rep. Dawanna Dukes,Travis County prosecutors went as far as saying the felony charges against the Democratic state lawmaker should n...

The worst mass shooting in U.S. history in Las Vegas in 2017 prompted calls for a bump stock ban, with Texas Republicans leading the charge.A report on KHOU noted Texas Republicans in Congress – Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Bill Flores – expressed an interest in exploring a ban on bump stocks, an a...

Many people do not believe the police lie. This is not the experience of Texas criminal defense lawyers.The police lie more frequently than many people realize. Officers may lead you to believe they have evidence against you that they do not have to tease a confession out of you. They may indicate t...

Drug smuggling in a serious offense whatever the circumstances. Recently, a former Miss USA contestant was charged with smuggling drugs to an inmate in an Ohio prison.Kia Hampton, 28, of Louisville, Kentucky was arrested in May. A report on Fox News noted a grand jury indicted Hampton on a third-deg...

Law enforcement officials are required to obtain a warrant before searching a suspect’s personal belongings under the Fourth Amendment.The warrant must show there was probable to believe the search or seizure will turn up evidence pertinent to a criminal investigation.Some people think this requir...

A diversion program for offenders who commit misdemeanor marijuana offenses went into effect in Harris County in March 2017.The program diverts offenders caught with small amounts of marijuana from jail to a county educational class.The key aspects of the program were set out in Community Impact.Spe...

MS-13 is a violent street gang with roots in Central America. It was recently singled out for targeting by the Trump administration.Trump has described gang members as “true animals” and said the gang is as bad as Al Qaeda.In October, Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions said the administration is making...

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced a new tough approach to drug crimes and urged federal prosecutors to seek the maximum sentence.It’s a high profile and uncompromising stance. But statistics suggest it failed to lead to more convictions in 2017.A report on CBS noted drug prosecutions ac...

Violent crime rose across the United States in 2016 and the spike was even higher in Texas, according to figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).Texas outpaced the national increase in murders and other violent crimes in 2016 compared to 2015, according to the latest crime data.Howeve...

Modern technology helps our everyday lives. It can trace our locations and tell us how far we have walked or run. This evidence can also be used in criminal investigations. Recently Fitbit evidence was used in a murder case.A report on CNN noted the horrific attack as described by Richard Dabate to...

Road rage in Fort Worth is a major issue that has been linked to car accidents, shootings and fatal crashes.In September, a suspected road rage linked incident left two police officers injured, reported the Star-Telegram.The accident left one officer hospitalized while another was treated for injuri...

Campus safety in Texas and elsewhere has come under scrutiny in recent years. However, a loophole was exposed by 2018 R-College Station who was shocked to discover there was no law targeting sex offenders in dorm rooms.That changed with new legislation that was implemented in Texas on Sept. 1, 2017....

Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area in September leaving thousands of people homeless. While many people pulled together concerns about corruption led federal prosecutors to set up a task force to target hurricane-related fraud.The federal authorities warned the residents of flooded areas i...

It’s not a crime to be homeless in Texas. However, a raft of laws targeted at homeless people means people with no roof over their heads are often criminalized. Some Texas cities rigorously impose laws against the homeless and have made national headlines for their uncompromising approach.A recent...

Our Fort Worth DWI defense lawyers are often asked if evidence from portable breathalyzers can be used in court. Many people believe this evidence is admissible but the answer is no.Police departments in Texas use two different types of devices. We explain on our website that they have been using th...

A man who is accused of the murder of a woman in Fort Worth has also been accused of a Plano killing after a woman disappeared before her body was found in a Dallas lake.Plano Police Department released the details of an arrest affidavit issued for Reginald Kimbro, 23, for the capital murder of 36-y...

The question of whether felony convictions should be allowed if the jury was not unanimous may be tested before the U.S. Supreme Court, which is looking at the issue of non-unanimous jury verdicts.The highest court in the land is considering whether to look at state laws that allow felony conviction...

If you have been hit with a Texas assault charge, it can have long-term impacts on your life.If you are charged with assault, you will face immediate consequences like potential jail time and a fine, depending on the seriousness of the charge. An assault charge can also have less obvious effects on...

When a judge in north Texas handed down the 89th and final conviction to a member of a white supremacist gang in the summer of 2017, it marked the end of a detailed investigation that lasted years.U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle sentenced Jeramy Weatherall, 29, of Dallas to a 20-year prison senten...

Our experienced Fort Worth criminal defense lawyers are often asked about the difference between burglary and criminal trespass in Texas.These two offenses are delated but they are distinct property crimes in Texas. The penalties are different.You can commit the offense of criminal trespass if you e...

Juries don’t always reach unanimous verdicts. In a recent case in Texas, a defendant accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 23 years in prison after a jury was deadlocked.Steven Johns, an Austin murder suspect, accepted a plea agreement and admitted murdering Joseph Lapaso, reported The Statesm...

Drivers dislike sobriety checkpoints but they are not legal in all states. It’s debatable whether drunk driving checkpoints and roadblocks are legal at all. At present, 38 U.S. states permit them while 12 do not.In Texas, a DWI arrest based on evidence obtained from sobriety checkpoints should not...