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 because the penalties in Texas are severe and can ruin your life forever.
At Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC, we’ve handled thousands of cases throughout the Tarrant County area and are familiar with the law. 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.
What’s Next After Being Accused of a Sex Crime?
Being accused of a sex crime can be terrifying and frustrating. Your life may have been turned upside down by this accusation. You may not know what to do or where to turn. Sex crimes are serious charges that can result in:
- Sex offender registration
- Imprisonment
- High fines
- Damage to your reputation
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
If you’ve been accused of sex crimes in Fort Worth or elsewhere in Texas, it’s helpful to know what’s considered a sex crime. Your lawyer will be better able to defend you if you understand and can explain to them what took place that led to your charges.
But what charges could you face? There are several different types of sex crimes in Texas, including:
- Sexual assault (Adult) or sometimes called Rape (Not an Official Legal Term)
- Sexual Assault of a Minor
- Indecency with a Child (By Contact or Exposure)
- Online Solicitation of a Minor
- Public lewdness or indecent exposure
- Audio or Video recording without Consent (Permission)
- Unlawful dissemination of sexual visual content
- Possession of Child pornography
- Improper relationship between an underage student and teacher
This is not a comprehensive list. A common misconception about sex crimes is that they only apply if there has been physical contact between two people. However, many of these violations don’t require any physical contact at all. Mere communication or exposure can subject people to having to register for a minimum of ten years post disposition of their case. Because of this, it’s important to provide all necessary details to your lawyer to understand your charges and understand the consequences.
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 defense lawyer. 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 the strategies:
- Consent – sometimes a “victim” will claim that a sexual assault occurred even though they consent to the conduct. Maybe they have regret or are in another relationship and feel pressured to press charges. These cases should be dropped.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Motive to Lie – in cases where the State may lack physical evidence (delayed outcry), 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.
- 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.
- 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 or avoiding having to register as a sex offender.
Call a Sex Crime Lawyer in Fort Worth
It’s 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 defend your case against these charges, even if you’ve been arrested.
A Fort Worth sex crime lawyer is in your corner. To speak with a lawyer about your case, call Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC at 817-334-7900 or complete our form online.
