Sullo & Sullo's Houston Criminal Lawyers are ready to defend your Criminal Trespass Charges.
If you believe the crime of Criminal Trespass is not all that serious, you need to reconsider that belief. A Harris County Criminal Court conviction for Criminal Trespass can have some far-reaching effects that require an experienced Houston Criminal Attorney to lessen the adverse consequences. That being said, Criminal Trespass is a property crime which is committed fairly frequently in the state of Texas.
Finding the Best Criminal Defense Attorney Near Me to Defend Your Harris County Criminal Trespass Charges - Regardless of whether you are charged with a Class A, B, or C Misdemeanor, it is important to realize that a Harris County Criminal Court Criminal Trespass conviction can be extremely detrimental to your life. You could run into these negative consequences when you are applying for a job, attempting to secure a college loan or even filling out an application to rent an apartment. To ensure your future is not derailed because of one single mistake, having a knowledgeable Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer beside you from the time you are charged can truly make a difference.
The Best Criminal Defense Attorney Near Me Should Know Criminal Trespass Laws in Texas - Under Texas Penal Code §30.05, criminal trespass occurs when a person enters the property of another person without consent and/or fails to leave the property even after receiving notice that entry to the property is prohibited. Criminal Trespass can occur on residential property, agricultural land, commercial property or in an aircraft, vehicle, recreational vehicle or any other type of habitation as well as in critical infrastructure facilities. A “critical infrastructure facility” can include any of the following so long as a fence or other physical barrier is in place to exclude intruders:
- A compressor station for natural gas transmission;
- Any type of refinery;
- A facility for chemical manufacturing;
- A central switching office for telecommunications;
- A television station or federally licensed radio transmission facility;
- A gas processing plant;
- A plant used to process, treat or fractionate natural gas;
- A freight transportation facility;
- A rail yard switching yard;
- A trucking terminal;
- A storage facility or terminal for liquid natural gas;
- A wastewater treatment plant;
- A water treatment facility or pump station;
- A water intake structure;
- An electrical power generating facility or electric distribution facility, electric transmission facility, electric switching station or electrical substation.
Should you wonder what “notice” that entry to the property is prohibited includes, notice is any type of oral or written communication by the owner or a person who has authority to act on behalf of the owner. Notice can come in the form of a fence or other type of enclosure which is clearly meant to keep livestock in, or people out, or can be a posted sign on the property, or at the entrance to a building which can “reasonably” be seen. Notice can be the placement of identifying purple paint marks on a tree or trees on the property or on posts on the property, however these marks must be vertical lines at least eight inches in length and at least one inch wide. The purple marks must be placed in a position on the tree or post which is not less than three or more than five feet from the ground, and must be at 100 ft. apart or less on forest land and 1,000 ft. apart or less on any land other than forest land. Finally, notice can include the visible presence of harvested or cultivated agriculture within an enclosure (fence).
Having a Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer defending you following your Harris County Arrest, can go a long way towards ensuring you are not saddled with Harris County Criminal Records or that you do not land in Harris County Jail, Texas. A Harris County District Attorney will work hard to prove your guilt in this matter, so having experienced an Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer on your side can make all the difference.
The Best Criminal Defense Attorney Near Me will be aware of the Penalties for Harris County Criminal Trespass Charges - Criminal trespass is usually considered a Class B Misdemeanor in the State of Texas, however depending on the circumstances surrounding the Criminal Trespass, these charges may be reduced—or upgraded. As an example, if the Criminal Trespass was committed in a shelter center, a home or a critical infrastructure facility, the charges could be upgraded to a Class A Misdemeanor. If the person charged with a criminal misdemeanor was in possession of a deadly weapon while he or she trespassed, the charges could also be upgraded to a Class A Misdemeanor.
The charges could be reduced to a Class C Misdemeanor if the offense occurred on agricultural land within 100 feet of the boundaries, or on residential property, within 100 feet of a protected freshwater area. If you are charged and convicted of the Class A Misdemeanor of Criminal Trespass, you could face up to a year in jail, a fine as large as $4,000, or both. If you are convicted of the Class B Misdemeanor of Criminal Trespass, you could face up to 180 days in jail, a fine as large as $2,000, or both. If you are convicted of the Class C Misdemeanor of Criminal Trespass, you could face a fine as large as $500. As you can see, the penalties for a Harris County Criminal Court Criminal Trespass conviction can be severe. Having Harris County Criminal Records, or spending time in a Harris County Criminal Court is not what you want for your life. Neither is it what a well-qualified Houston Criminal Lawyer would want for you.
Make sure that the Best Criminal Defense Attorney Near Me knows the Defenses to Harris County Criminal Trespass Charges - Perhaps the primary defenses to the crime of Criminal Trespass in the State of Texas is the belief that you were allowed on the property, or the believe that the property was abandoned. If the property was open to the public and you complied with imposed conditions regarding access or remaining on the premises, this could also be used in your favor. If you believe you would absolutely have been allowed on the property if you had asked, then this belief could be used in your defense as well. Finally, those who are engaged in legal process serving who can show entry to the property was necessary to complete the process service could have their Criminal Trespass charges dropped.
Could You Benefit from Houston Criminal Lawyer Free Consultations for Your Criminal Trespass Charges? If you have been charged with Criminal Trespass in Houston, having a Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer working on your behalf is necessary. Being a Houston Criminal Attorney at Sullo & Sullo means working for a law firm that has Houston Criminal Defense Lawyers with Payment Plans. Sullo & Sullo also offers Houston Criminal Lawyer Free Consultations to those charged with a criminal offense such as Criminal Trespass. Do not wait, hoping your Criminal Trespass charges will go away - instead, contact Sullo & Sullo's a Houston Criminal Defense Attorney at Sullo & Sullo for representation regarding your Harris County Criminal Criminal Trespass charges. You may be wondering "How Much Does a Lawyer Cost at Sullo & Sullo?" and you may be tempted to just look for a Cheap Lawyer to handle your case, but understand that any Houston Criminal Lawyer at Sullo & Sullo will strive to keep costs low while also keeping quality high. Sullo & Sullo aims to be the Best Criminal Defense Attorney in Houston.