Sexual Assault, Indecency & Aggravated Sexual Assault
The mere accusation of a sex-related offense can ruin your reputation in the community. The police, the prosecuting attorney, and the general public will be tempted to believe the victim of the crime simply because of the accusation alone. It is imperative that you have an aggressive, hard-hitting defense lawyer who knows that things are not always as they appear. While protecting children is obviously an important societal goal, this cannot come at the expense of ignoring the rights of persons accused of sex offenses. If you are being questioned or have been arrested for suspicion of these accusations, you need a lawyer experienced in handling these sensitive cases no matter what your situation.
Sex cases can encompass accusations of merely exposing oneself to a child, inappropriate teacher-student contact, online solicitation of a minor, possessing obscenity or child pornography, to sexual assault of a child or another non-consenting adult. Large numbers of these cases are presented to Grand Juries across the state of Texas every day, many of which are simply not true. In my experience as a felony prosecutor, I have seen just how convoluted these cases can be. It is possible under certain scenarios to have these charges dismissed, or even prevent them from being indicted in the first place, but only by taking swift action to protect your rights. If there is merit to the accusation, it is also quite possible to develop a case on your behalf to mitigate the consequences of the crime.
Many criminal lawyers shy away from these cases because they are very time-consuming and involve such sensitive issues. Many others simply price themselves out of the market. My experience as a felony prosecutor has taught me that no situation is ever straightforward. These cases are usually presented and indicted with little investigation beyond the outcry of sexual assault. They almost never involve real physical evidence. From the State’s perspective, when a complaining witness alleges that another person has sexually assaulted them, they take their story at face value. As such, the State’s case typically rests primarily on the credibility of the complaining witness who may have made false accusations before, has a motive to lie, or has a reputation for being untrustworthy. I have seen sexual assault allegations brought during bitter divorce battles where child custody is in dispute. Other times, they are spawned by very young children who misinterpret tickling or playing for inappropriate contact. There are also allegations brought about by disgruntled spouses looking to get back at a former partner. Whatever the reason for the accusation, you need a lawyer with a proven track record in investigating and trying these cases before juries to bring the truth to light.