Texas Criminal Defense Archives

Can a School Fight Be Prosecuted?

Yes. A student can be arrested and charged with assault and battery depending on the circumstances of the offense. If convicted, your child’s actions could affect their future and hinder certain opportunities upon their release from jail. Even a minor can serve a significant sentence, causing irreparable damage to their future and reputation. Fortunately, criminal […] Read more

What Is a No-Contest Plea?

If you’ve been charged with a crime, you may be facing significant jail or prison time. At any time before trial, however, you may be able to negotiate a plea bargain that could either reduce your charges or reduce your exposure to a longer jail or prison sentence. Deciding on a plea is difficult and […] Read more

How Is Good Behavior Measured in a Prison Term?

When you’ve been convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison, you battle with a swarm of emotions when you realize that you’re losing your liberty. Your primary goal is to complete your sentence. You want to regain your freedom, return home to your loved ones, and begin the fresh start you need in your […] Read more

What Are the Differences Between a Federal and a State Charge?

It can be difficult to determine the difference between state crimes and federal crimes. In most cases, state charges are those which are determined by each state’s own legislature and laws and can vary from one state to the next. Federal charges are those which have been written into legislation by Congress and are enforced […] Read more

Lassiter Client Released On Bond 26 Years After Wrongful Conviction

The team at the Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter is proud to announce that our client, Walter Roy, has been released on bond after serving 26 years in prison for a crime that police and prosecutors now say he’s innocent of. In 1995, our client accompanied two men, Edric Davis and Benny Lemmons, to […] Read more

Men accused of murder to be tried separately

A criminal court judge ruled last Wednesday, January 11 that 22-year-old Elizabethton, Tennessee resident Aaron Charles Garland and Greeneville resident Dallas Sarden will be tried separately  in court. The two are accused of murdering 59-year-old Johnson City resident Karen K. Parker. Garland and Sarden requested different trials, and state prosecutors chose not to object to […] Read more

Former mortuary owner acquitted of criminal charges

The Second District Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas acquitted former mortuary owner Dondre Johnson, whose mortuary was discovered to house eight corpses in a deplorable condition, of felony theft charges. The court understood that Johnson acted in an “unconscionable behavior” when it came to his activities at the funeral home when he provided […] Read more

Two plead guilty to charges of engaging in organized criminal activity

Thirty-four-year-old Dustin Kyle Garcia and 30-year-old Christopher Lee Chambers both made a guilty plea on Thursday, November 10 to charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, a first-degree felony. Chambers will spend 15 years in prison as a plea agreement for testifying against Gracia, who will spend 28 years in prison as part of another […] Read more

Minor error in evidence analysis not a hindrance to proper investigation – medical examiner

The medical examiner’s office in Dallas County, Texas has recently announced that disclosure of an error in evidence analysis that was committed five years ago will not hamper the proper analysis of other criminal cases. A trial for someone who had been caught driving while intoxicated was re-set on Thursday, November 3 after a foreign […] Read more

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acquitted of fraud charges

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted of civil charges of securities fraud brought against him by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC says Paxton encouraged investors to give money in a misleading and unlawful way to McKinney-based Software company Servergy while serving as a state legislator. In a 29-page ruling written by […] Read more