Sullo & Sullo will Aggressively Defend You at Harris County Criminal Court.
Being charged with an offense in Harris County Criminal Court and facing those charges without experienced Houston Criminal Lawyers by your side—can bring levels of stress and anxiety you may not be able to even imagine. A single bad decision can result in serious misdemeanor or felony charges, and while we want to believe we truly are innocent until proven guilty, in fact, it is rarely that clear-cut. In particular, you could be considered guilty by the police, the Harris County District Attorney, and the world at large simply because you have been charged. Because you are facing such dismal odds, having hard working Houston Criminal Defense Lawyers by your side to try and negotiate on your behalf with the Harris County District Attorney—as well as to convince a jury of your innocence should you go to trial—is one of the few things which can truly make a difference.
Take Your Right to Remain Silent Seriously - Even though most of us have seen television shows where suspects are being read their Miranda Rights, when we are the ones sitting across from a police officer, we tend to believe that if we just explain, we will be allowed to go home. This is practically never a good idea. Police are specifically trained to extract information which will later be used against you. One officer may do this by convincing you he or she is your friend, and that if you will just tell them everything you know, they will be glad to help you. Another officer may use a harsher approach, scaring you in to saying things that may not even be correct. Regardless of how the police officer extracts information from you, that information absolutely will be used against you in a court of law—often taken out of context.
Instead of believing what you are told while being detained, remember that you are under no obligation to speak to the police beyond giving your name and address. After that, politely ask for a Houston Criminal Defense Attorney and remain silent until that Houston Criminal Defense Attorney arrives. Despite the fact that the state of Texas must prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, there are plenty of people in prison who were either innocent of the crime, or who could have benefited greatly from Houston Criminal Lawyers explaining extenuating circumstances, fighting for their rights and their future. Perhaps you have an alibi, or perhaps you did commit the crime, however there were extenuating circumstances.
In the end, you must always remember that the presumption of innocence is one of the primary elements of our criminal legal system. By contacting knowledgeable Houston Criminal Lawyers from Sullo & Sullo as quickly as possible after being charged with a Harris County Criminal Court offense you are taking a positive step toward a better outcome. The Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Attorneys can assist you with every aspect of your criminal charges, particularly with the following offenses:
- Harris County Criminal Court Criminal Trespass Charges—If you are charged with criminal trespass, the police believe you entered another person’s property without that person’s consent or, that even after you received notice that you were on another person’s property, you failed to leave the premises. There are many different properties you could commit the act of criminal trespass in, including:
Agricultural land;
Commercial property;
An RV;
An airplane;
Residential property;
Any other habitation, or Critical infrastructure facilities with a fence in place to keep people out. Critical infrastructure facilities include the following: Electrical substations; Electrical switching stations; Electrical distribution facilities; Electrical power generating facilities; Water intake structures; Water treatment facilities; Terminals or storage facilities for liquid natural gas; Wastewater treatment plants; Trucking terminals or freight transportation facilities; Railyard switching stations, Television stations; Plants used to fractionate, treat or process natural gas; Radio transmission facilities; Gas processing plants; Telecommunications centralswitching offices; Chemical manufacturing facilities; Oil refineries, or Natural gas transmission compressor stations.
If you have been charged with Houston criminal trespass, take the charges seriously; although criminal trespass in Texas is usually a Class B misdemeanor, it canbe increased to a Class A misdemeanor if a deadly weapon was in your possession at the time of the criminal trespass.
- Harris County Criminal Court Drug Crimes Charges—If you live in the state of Texas, you are probably aware that drug crimes are among the most harshly punished offenses in the state. Because of this, it is absolutely essential that you contact an experienced Houston Drug Crime Lawyer as soon as you are arrested for a drug crime—or even if you think you might be under investigation for a drug crime. Your specific drug crime, as well as the amount of the drug in your possession and the type of drug will determine whether you are charged with a state or federal drug crime in Harris County Criminal Court. The exact charge will also depend on whether you were only in possession of a controlled substance, or are being charged with delivery of the substance. Do not think prescription drugs are exempt, as you could also be charged with the recreational use of a prescription drug. Texas has six groups of controlled substances, therefore the severity of the charges—as well as the penalties—can vary widely. For a drug conviction in the state of Texas, you could potentially spend anywhere from a few days in jail to as much as 15-99 years in a Texas state prison. Because of the severe penalties involved, it is imperative that you contact knowledgeable Houston Criminal Defense Attorneys immediately.
- Harris County Criminal Court Assault & Battery Charges—If you have been the subject of a Harris County Arrest for assault & battery, then you may have intentionally or recklessly caused bodily harm or injury to another person, or engaged in any type of physical contact which another person found offensive. For “simple” assault, you could be charged with a serious misdemeanor, although under certain circumstances those charges could be felony charges. What you may not realize about Harris County Criminal Court Assault & Battery Charges, is that even if you did not physically touch another person, you could still face these charges if you made a threat of violence, i.e., you placed another person in fear that you would carry out a threat. Having experienced Houston Criminal Lawyers by your side is crucial, as you could potentially be charged with a felony assault & battery with a mandatory prison sentence. Third-degree assault & battery felony charges could result if your assault was against an emergency services personnel, a police officer, a government official or a public servant. If you are being charged with a repeat assault involving choking or strangulation of a family member or significant other, you could face a second or third-degree felony. A Class A misdemeanor charge could result if your assault & battery caused actual physical harm to another human being or if you are accused of assaulting a person who is either elderly or disabled. If you only made threats of bodily injury or made “provocative” contact (tapping another person in the chest with your finger to make a point) then you may face Class C misdemeanor charges, which are still quite serious. No matter what type of Harris County Criminal Court Assault & Battery Charges you are facing, it is in your best interests to contact Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Defense Attorneys as quickly as possible.
- Harris County Criminal Court Expunctions & Non-Disclosures—Cases which were dismissed, declined, no-billed, or those which received a not-guilty verdict could potentially be eligible for expunction. Expunction of a case means that every governmental agency must destroy all records related to your arrest so that when criminal history checks are run on you, there is no record of the case. If no indictment was forthcoming, there are specific requirements which must be met for a successful expunction petition. Expunctions typically take up to three months, with no waiting period (unless you have a conviction for a different case related to the same arrest or if the case was reduced to a lesser offense). After the expunction is granted, however, you could wait another three or four months to see your record fully cleared. Because expunctions can be quite complex, having Sullo & Sullo's Houston Expunctions & Non-Disclosures Attorneys on your side can greatly increase your chances of success. We fully understand how having Harris County Criminal Records can affect virtually every aspect of your life, and will work hard to minimize these negative effects.
- Harris County Criminal Court Evading Arrest Charges—Unfortunately, you may find yourself being charged with evading arrest in Houston simply because you were unaware you had been placed under arrest in the first place. The Harris County police officer in your situation may not have properly informed you that you were being placed under arrest, therefore you believed you were legally entitled to walk away. While you can walk away from an interaction with a Harris County police officer, you are not allowed to intentionally flee from the officer. You might be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the exact circumstances surrounding your Harris County Criminal Court Evading Arrest Charges. If you used a vehicle to evade arrest, it is likely you will face felony charges, however if no vehicle was used, you will likely be charged with a Class B misdemeanor. High speed chases often lead to injuries or death for innocent bystanders, therefore evading arrest in a vehicle is considered a much more serious crime. There may be extenuating circumstances which your Houston Evading Arrest Lawyers can use to your advantage. Your Houston Criminal Lawyers could argue you were not aware you were being detained because the arresting Harris County police officer was in an unmarked car or was not in uniform. Whatever your situation, you must take Harris County Criminal Court Evading Arrest charges seriously, as you could potentially be sentenced to anywhere from 180 days to ten years for a Harris County Criminal Court Evading Arrest Conviction.
- Harris County Criminal Court: Federal & State Criminal Appeals—An appeal can be filed after a verdict is reached in a case, whether the case is federal or state. To be able to file a federal or state criminal appeal, you must be able to show that an error of law occurred during your original trial. An error of law could include improper jury instructions from the judge or another improperly performed procedural issue—perhaps the judge failed to properly apply the law in your particular case. In other words, if any action on the part of the Harris County Criminal Court Judge who handled your case, or on the part of the Harris County District Attorney compromised the fairness of your trial, you may discuss filing an appeal with your Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Attorneys.
- Harris County Criminal Court Charges: DWI in Texas—If you are facing DWI in Texas or DUI in Texas charges, you must take these charges very seriously. Not only will you face severe criminal penalties if you are convicted of DWI in Texas, you will also face a multitude of additional consequences and repercussion which could last a very long time. You may be facing a DWI in Texas First Offense, a DWI in Texas second or subsequent offense, or even intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter. The experienced Sullo & Sullo Houston DWI Lawyers will work hard on your behalf to decipher and challenge the results of any “tests” you may have taken—or been forced to take. Perhaps there were issues associated with your blood alcohol test, breathalyzer test or field sobriety tests. In the state of Texas, the legal BAC is 0.08 percent (0.04 percent for those with a Commercial Driver’s License, and zero-tolerance for any detectable amount of alcohol in the system of a minor). In addition to potential problems with a blood alcohol test, a breathalyzer test or a field sobriety test, there may also be issues associated with the police pullover procedure. Your Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Lawyers will look at every aspect of your DWI in Texas arrest to arrive at the very best defense. If you are facing a DWI in Texas First Offense, you may qualify for the DWI DIVERT program. If you are eligible for this program, you will be able to have the DWI removed from your record once you have completed the program. In the state of Texas, first-offense DWIs are usually charged as Class B misdemeanors. Do not make the mistake of thinking a misdemeanor is not all that serious—if convicted, you could lose your license for up to a year, could face a fine as large as $2,000, and could even spend days in jail. If this is not your first DWI in Texas, or if another person was hurt or killed because of your intoxicated state, you will face even harsher penalties. As an example, intoxication manslaughter is a second-degree felony, with penalties of 2-20 years in prison, and fines as large as $10,000. If there was a child under the age of 15 in your vehicle at the time of your DWI in Texas arrest, you could face felony charges. For any DWI in Texas offense you could additionally face community service, an alcohol education program, or could be required to have an ignition interlock device installed on your vehicle—at your own expense. Because Texas DWI Laws can be complex, it is particularly important that you have experienced Houston DWI Attorneys on your side who will fight for your rights and your future by challenging the evidence in your case.
- Harris County Criminal Court Felonies & Misdemeanors—Felony offenses are more serious than misdemeanor offenses, however both can impact your life and your future. Felony offenses can be violent crimes (although they are not always violent crimes) and are divided into five degrees: a state jail felony, a third-degree felony, a second-degree felony, a first-degree felony and a capital felony. State jail felonies include such things as cruelty to animals, evading arrest with a vehicle, check forgery or theft of items valued between $1,500 and $20,000. Penalties for a conviction of a state jail felony can include from 180 days to two years in a state jail and a fine as large as $10,000. A third-degree felony could include deadly conduct with a firearm, stalking, a third-offense DWI or tampering with evidence and can result in a sentence as high as two to ten years in a Texas state prison. A second-degree felony in the state of Texas could include intoxication manslaughter, arson or aggravated assault and a conviction for a second-degree felony could result in a sentence of two to twenty years in a Texas state prison. First-degree felonies in the state of Texas include such things as capital murder, aggravated assault of a public servant, kidnapping, or aggravated sexual assault against a child. A conviction of a first-degree felony in Texas can bring from five to ninety-nine years in a Texas state prison—or even life in prison. A capital felony can include premeditated murder, murder with special circumstances, treason or espionage, and can result in a sentence of life in prison or even the death penalty. Texas misdemeanors, while not as serious as felonies, can still bring you years and years of adverse consequences. You can be charged with a Class A, Class B or Class C misdemeanor in the state of Texas. The least serious of these—a Class C misdemeanor—could be something like simple assault (with no bodily injury), selling term papers or reports by use for others, attending a dog fight, possession of drug paraphernalia, public intoxication or jumping bail, and can result in a $500 fine upon conviction. A Class B misdemeanor could include theft of property valued at $20 or more (but less than $500), DWI, making a terroristic threat, possession of up to 2 ounces of marijuana, prostitution or making a prank phone call to 911. If convicted of a Class B misdemeanor, you could be sentenced to up to 180 days in jail, and could be assessed a $2,000 fine. A Class A misdemeanor can include such offenses as burglary and theft of property valued at more than $500 but less than $1,500. You could be sentenced to up to a year in jail and could be assessed a $4,000 fine if convicted of a Class A misdemeanor.
If you have been charged with a crime in Harris County Criminal Court, you know just how stressful and frightening it can be. Perhaps you are not entirely clear on your specific charges, or do not have a clear understanding of the potential penalties you could face if convicted of your Harris County Criminal Court Charges. In order to avoid Harris County Criminal Records and Harris County Jail, it is important that you have experienced Houston Criminal Lawyers by your side. Having Harris County Criminal Records could alter your life forever, prohibiting you from working with children, obtaining a government student loan, obtaining a professional license, renting an apartment, or even securing employment you are otherwise well-qualified for. The Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Lawyers can fully represent you, no matter what level of Harris County Criminal Court charges you are facing. We are a full-service Houston Criminal Law Firm and have both the experience and knowledge to fully represent you. Throughout the years, we have successfully earned the trust of our clients, and we want you to understand that your Harris County Criminal Court case is of the utmost importance to us; we believe strongly in your rights and will fight for your future.
How Much Does a Lawyer Cost at Sullo & Sullo? How do I find the Best Criminal Defense Lawyer Near Me? After your Harris County Arrest, you may be looking for a Cheap Lawyer to handle your case. Before you hire just anyone, keep in mind that Sullo & Sullo offers Houston Criminal Lawyer Free Consultations and they are also Houston Criminal Defense Lawyers with Payment Plans. Sullo & Sullo strives to be the Best Criminal Defense Attorney in Houston, and they will fight hard on your Harris County Criminal Court case.