Facing Charges in Harris County Criminal Court

While we all want to believe that if we are charged with a criminal offense, we are innocent until we can be proven guilty, this is not always the case. While there is, certainly, a presumption of innocence, in reality when you are charged with a criminal offense you are facing a long uphill battle against those who believe if you were charged with a crime you must be guilty. Not only must you deal with the Harris County District Attorney, you must deal with law enforcement who are convinced of your guilt, and possibly even a jury of your “peers” who are equally convinced of your guilt.

Because the cards can be stacked against you when you have been charged with an offense in Harris County Criminal Court, you need someone in your corner—someone who is highly experienced in criminal defense, and someone who will fight for your rights and for your future. A Houston Criminal Attorney from Sullo & Sullo can help you through this difficult time. We understand that you are frightened, anxious and completely stressed over your charges. You may have lost your job because of your charges or may be behind bars until you bond can be arranged. Perhaps you are truly innocent of the criminal charges against you, perhaps there were extenuating circumstances behind the offense, or perhaps you simply made a one-time bad decision.

Whatever your specific situation, you may wonder how to find the Best Criminal Defense Attorney and you may be asking “How much does a lawyer cost?” It is a sure bet that if there is any possible way to do so you want to avoid Harris County Jail and Harris County Criminal Records that can follow you for many, many years to come. Since “innocent until proven guilty” may not always be the reality in our criminal justice system, having an experienced Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Attorney by your side can potentially level the playing field, resulting in a better overall outcome to your Houston criminal charges. While there are many valid defenses to criminal charges In Harris County Criminal Court, your specific defense will depend on many factors and the specific circumstances surrounding your charges. That being said, some of the most common defenses to criminal charges include:

• The Alibi Defense - Possibly one of the most common defenses occurs when the defendant was somewhere other than the scene of the crime, therefore could not have committed the criminal offense. In other words, if you are accused of burglarizing the local Mini-Mart on Tuesday evening at 8:00 p.m., your attorney may be able to present compelling evidence that you were at a local movie theater at that exact time. Obviously, if you were seeing the movie with another person, then your alibi defense is much stronger.
• "Yes, I did It, but" - Even if you are guilty of the crime in question, you may be able to avoid criminal penalties when your attorney explains the extenuating circumstances. Perhaps you acted in self-defense, that is, if you are charged with assault, your defense could be that your actions were justified because the other person threatened you. In a self-defense case, it is necessary to show who the aggressor was in the incident, and whether your belief that self-defense was necessary was a reasonable one. Further, if your belief that self-defense was necessary was reasonable, was the level of force you used in response reasonable? We are allowed to protect ourselves, our homes and our loved ones, however an overabundance of force could be judged to be a criminal offense. If you did not act in self-defense, perhaps you were not in your right mind at the time the criminal offense occurred. The insanity defense may be employed if your Houston Criminal Defense Attorney is able to argue convincingly that you were unable to either control your behavior or understand that the act was wrong. Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, the insanity defense is rarely upheld by judges or jurors. Our legal system is unable to agree on the various definitions of insanity with most psychiatrists, making it even more problematic. Aside from asserting you were unable to distinguish right from wrong, an experienced Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer may argue that you knew the act was wrong, but you were unable to control your actions because of a specific mental illness.
• "I was Intoxicated at the time" or "I was set up" - Though it would seem counter-intuitive to claim intoxication when the crime was committed—since there are penalties for that crime as well—the criminal defense attorney may choose to argue that because of drugs or alcohol your mental functions were so impaired that you cannot be held accountable. On the other hand, this can be a hard sell, since the rebuttal is that you should have known that drugs or alcohol could affect your mental functions. Entrapment could potentially be argued when the government coerced you to commit a crime, then attempted to punish you for that crime. If the jury believes you would have likely committed the crime anyhow, then this defense may not work, especially if you happen to have a prior conviction for the same crime.  

Even though some feel the presumption of innocence is little more than a symbol in our legal system, it remains an essential element of our criminal legal system. Unfortunately, the media tends to disregard the premise of presumption of innocence, and many people are tried and found guilty through public opinion before they ever make it to a court of law. If you have been arrested for a Harris County criminal offense it is extremely important that you contact a highly experienced Houston Criminal Lawyer from Sullo & Sullo who can help ensure your right to be considered innocent until a jury deems you otherwise is fully protected.

Perhaps you have been charged with a DWI in Texas or a DUI in Texas. If so, then you not only have to worry about the criminal aspect, you also have to worry about whether you will be allowed to keep your driver’s license. A Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Lawyer can attend your ALR hearings, and determine whether your field sobriety tests, breathalyzer tests and blood alcohol tests were legal and valid. If you have been charged with another type of criminal offense, the knowledgeable Sullo & Sullo Houston Criminal Defense Lawyers will work hard to help you avoid Harris County Criminal Records and Harris County Jail.