In Texas, possession of marihuana can be a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the amount possessed Less than 2 ounces of marihuana is a class B misdemeanor Less than 4 ounces of marihuana is a class A misdemeanor 4 ounces to 5lbs of marihuana is a state jail felony 5lbs to 50lbs of marihuana is a third degree felony 50lbs to 2000lbs of marihuana is a second degree felony Over 2000lbs of marihuana is a first...
In Houston, a Federal Judge was sentenced to 33 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release The Houston Chronicle reports that former Judge Samuel Kent will report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons next month Kent lied to a judicial committee who was investigating an alleged sexual misconduct allegation against KentJudge Kent's reputation was well known in the Houston criminal defense...
You or someone you know may be in this situation:
You have had a case in the Harris County Criminal Courthouse, or any other Texas court for that matter;
The judge has granted deferred adjudication; and
You have successfully completed deferred adjudicationWhat now Many assume that once deferred adjudication is completed, the existence of that charge is automatically erased They assume that...
ABC 13 news reports that a 70 year old woman waited 7 hours for police to respond to her 911 call when her house was burglarized Mayor White states that "we ought to be vigilant in trying to do better" The problem is not effort The problem is the misguided effort We all know that if you have a car accident it will be a good hour before anyone officer shows up If only, the police were as fast as...
The New York Times reports that local police officer Jeffrey Cotton has been charged in the shooting of Robert Tolan This story has made nationwide news and has even been the subject of an episode of Real Sports by Bryant GumbelJeffrey Cotton has an arraignment setting in the 232nd District Court of Harris County, Texas Cotton was indicted on April 6, 2008 for Aggravated Assault by a Public Servant ...
Anyone charged with a criminal offense in Harris County, Texas is likely to be overwhelmed with the number of courts in the Harris County Criminal Justice CenterThe Harris County Criminal Justice Center is located at 1201 Franklin Street in downtown HoustonThere are fifteen county criminal courts at law The courts are found on floors 8, 9, 10, and 11 The county criminal courts hear all class B...
The Los Angeles Times reports that NFL Star, Dante Stallworth, has been charged with a Manslaughter charge stemming from a March 14th accident that killed 59 year old Mario Reyes This is the prototypical case that has formed organizations such as MADD and caused anti-drunk driving bill boards to be put along side our roadways This incident occurred in Florida, and if Stallworth is convicted he faces up...
The Houston Chronicle reported that a Harris County man was arrested and charged with capital murder in the death of his son From what I gathered from the article, the autopsy revealed no external injuries and the cause of death was severe trauma to the brain which the Detectives believe is consistent with Shaken Baby SyndromeAs a Harris County criminal defense lawyer, I do not feel it is appropriate to...
As a Houston criminal defense lawyer, I frequently get the question, "If I am stopped for DUI, should I take a breath test" Nobody has ever been surprised by my answer Yet, the reasons, and there are many, not to take a breath test are far more complex than simply not incriminating oneself People ask, "what if I only had one drink, then should I take the breath test" I am not in the business of telling people...
November 4, 2008 was not only a big night for the national stage, but locally as wellNine felony district courts were up for election Democratic challengers won 8 out of the 9 criminal judicial racesThe results are as follows:174th District Court was vacant because Judge George Godwin is set to retire The Judge-Elect is Ruben Guerrero176th District Court- Judge Elect Shawna L Reagin177th District...
