Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC | Fort Worth Sex Crime Lawyer | Sexual Assaults | Online Solicitation of a Minor

If you’ve been accused of a serious sex crime, you need an experienced Fort Worth sex crime lawyer that understands your situation, can devise the proper strategy, and can help you fight the charge and get the best result possible.  Our goal on sex crimes is always a dismissal, no bill, not guilty, or a reduction in the charges.  

At Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC, we’ve handled thousands of criminal cases throughout the Tarrant County area. Our entire legal team is former prosecutors at the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. Partners Colin McLaughlin and Hilary Wright are both Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  Hilary is a former Court Chief prosecutor in Tarrant County and Colin is a former sex crimes prosecutor in Tarrant County.  We work hard to protect your rights and fight to get you the best possible outcome in your case. If you have been arrested or charged with a sex crime, call a Fort Worth sex crime lawyer today so we can start working on your defense immediately.

Fort Worth sex crime lawyer

What’s Next After Being Accused of a Sex Crime?

Being accused and arrested of a sex crime can be terrifying and frustrating. Your life may have been turned upside down by this accusation. Even just being arrested allows Courts to put restrictive bond conditions on you.  You may not know what to do or where to turn.

Sex crimes are serious charges that can result in:

  • Restrictive Bond or Probation Conditions (School Zones, No Access to Child and Child Safety Zones, GPS Monitoring),
  • Sex offender registration (plus 10 years or lifetime registration, depending on the charge),
  • Imprisonment or Lengthy Probation,
  • High fines, and/or
  • Collateral Consequences, including losing your job, your family, and damage to your reputation (Even if the case is dropped)

Being accused of having committed any kind of sexual assault or sex crime can cause serious collateral consequences, impacting your personal life, your employment, your family, where you can live, to name a few.

Getting the right criminal defense lawyer can help fight the charge to minimize those consequences.

Types of Sex Crimes

Here are some of the primary sex crimes and related offenses we fight and defendant at Hoeller McLaughlin PLLCIf you’ve been acc

But what charges could you face? There are several different types of sex crimes in Texas, including:

In addition to these offenses, often times, law enforcement will charge individuals with additional charges that relate to a sex crimes, including unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, injury to a child, and indecent assault.

A common misconception about sex crimes is that they only apply if there has been physical contact between two people. That is certainly the case for some criminal charges, however, many of these violations don’t require any physical contact at all.  Mere communication (text messages or messaging on an App) can subject people to having to register for a minimum of ten years post disposition of their case.

Building a Strong Case | Fort Worth Sex Crime Lawyer

It’s possible to get your sex crime charges dismissed, no billed, or reduced if you have the right criminal defense lawyer.  At Hoeller McLaughlin, we’ll be able to prepare your case and help you build a strong defense by using a few proven strategies.  Here are some of our proven strategies that have helped previous clients get their cases dropped or reduced:

  1. Consent – sometimes a “victim” will claim that a sexual assault occurred even though they consented to the conduct.  Maybe they have regret or are in another relationship and feel pressured to press charges.  These cases should be dropped.
  2. 3 year Romeo & Juliet Statute – in some cases where a sexual assault of a minor occurs, there is a legal defense if you are within 3 years of the “child”, as long as the relationship was consensual.
  3. It wasn’t you – An alibi showing that you were not at the scene of the crime at the time it occurred because, for example, you were at work, or with a friend. Proving you weren’t there when the crime occurred can make a big difference.
  4. Lack of Evidence – If the prosecution has no physical evidence such as DNA or fingerprints, your lawyer may be able to argue that the sex crime cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If there’s physical evidence against you but it doesn’t directly link you to the crime scene, this could be used as one of many arguments for why your case should be dismissed or your sentence reduced. In online solicitation cases, it’s important to really dig into the messages to see if the elements are met.  The details matter especially in these cases.
  5. Motive to Lie – in cases where the State may lack physical evidence (delayed outcry for instance), one way to beat the charge is if you can show that injured party has a motive to lie about the incident. This sometimes happens in child custody battles.
  6. Suppress Evidence – Another way that your defense lawyer can help is by filing motions to suppress evidence obtained by police through illegal searches and seizures. If the judge agrees that police violated your rights by searching you illegally, he or she will throw out any evidence they found during their search.
  7. Mitigation – even if there is evidence that you committed a crime, a good lawyer can still help you mitigate the consequences, like getting the case reduced because you completed treatment.  Getting a reduction on the case can sometimes help clients avoiding having to register as a sex offender.

Call a Sex Crime Lawyer in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Getting the right lawyer can make a massive difference on your case.  We take the approach that every day, every year matters, so you have to fight for every inch.  It is also important to note that even if the police have enough evidence to arrest you, they don’t necessarily have enough evidence to convict you (the standard in Texas is beyond a reasonable doubt to convict). That’s why it’s so important to have the right team fighting for you.

At Hoeller McLaughlin, PLLC, we have the right Fort Worth sex crime lawyers in your corner. To speak with a lawyer about your case, call Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC at 817-334-7900 or complete our form online to set up a consultation.