Texas Sex Crimes Lawyers

There are many Texas sex crimes, and they are scattered throughout the Texas Penal Code. While they all vary in degree and punishment, most sex crimes are felonies, and any conviction carries serious collateral consequences. To win your case, you need experienced sex crime lawyers who know what and how to get the best result possible.

Prosecutors are tough on sex crimes, especially sex crimes involving minors. With your livelihood and freedom on the line, you need sex crime lawyers with the experience, resources and tools to successfully handle these unique cases. With nearly 70 years of sex crime defense experience, the team at Adamo & Adamo Law Firm has a national reputation for solving problems other lawyers can’t.

What Are The Different Types Of Sex Crimes?

The lawyers at Adamo & Adamo Law Firm have successfully represented many persons accused of sex crimes and understand what it takes to win your case for such crimes as

• Public lewdness: A person performs a sexual act in public or in front of another person. An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
• Indecent exposure: A person exposes their genitals to another. An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
• Indecency with a child: A person commits an offense if, with a child younger than 17 years of age (regardless of whether the person knows the age of the child), they engage in sexual contact (e.g., touching), expose their genitals or cause the child to expose theirs. Indecency with a child by touching is a second-degree felony, and indecency with a child by exposing is a third-degree felony.
• Improper relationship between educator and student: An employee of a school commits an offense if the employee engages in sexual contact (touching), oral sex or sexual intercourse (penetration) with a student. Being accused of an improper relationship between an educator and a student is a second-degree felony.
• Unlawful disclosure or promotion of intimate visual material: A person commits an offense if the person intentionally threatens to disclose intimate visual material of another to obtain a benefit. An offense under this section is a state jail felony.
• Sexual assault: A person commits an offense if the person has sexual intercourse, or the like, without that person’s consent. Sexual assault is a second-degree felony.
• Aggravated sexual assault: A person commits aggravated sexual assault if the person uses threats or force, or exhibits a deadly weapon in committing sexual assault or commits sexual assault against a child younger than 14 years of age, an elderly person or a disabled person. Aggravated sexual assault is a first-degree felony.
• Super aggravated sexual assault: If an aggravated sexual assault is alleged and the person is younger than six years of age or the person is younger than 14 years of age and the person uses threats, force or exhibits a deadly weapon, then the minimum punishment is increased to 25 years in prison.
• Continuous sexual abuse of a child: During a 30-day period, a person is accused of two or more acts of sexual abuse (i.e., indecency with a child, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault) against a child 14 years or younger. An offense under this section is punishable by 25 years to life in prison.
• Possession of child pornography: A person knowingly possesses visual material of a child younger than 18 years of age engaging in sexual conduct. Possession of child pornography in Texas is a third-degree felony.
• Online solicitation of a minor: A person over the internet communicates in a sexually explicit manner. Online solicitation of a minor is a third-degree felony, unless the minor is younger than 14 years old, then it is a second-degree felony.

With over 60-plus years of combined criminal experience, Adamo & Adamo Law Firm has a reputation for providing top-rated sex crime defense across the country, including Austin and surrounding counties.

Defending Against Sex Crime Accusations Through The Grand Jury

Sex crimes begin as a complaint. In order for the District Court to obtain jurisdiction, the complaint must become a formal indictment. Grand juries are responsible for indicting sex crime complaints. Evidence is presented by the prosecutor to 12 citizens who decide to issue either a “true bill” or a “no bill.” If a “true bill” is issued, the sex crime case continues. However, if a “no bill” is issued, the sex crime case is dismissed. Through various defenses and because prosecutors would prefer a grand jury “no billing” opposed to flat out dismissing it, sex crimes are ripe for “no bills,” and our Austin sex crime lawyers have successfully obtained “no bills” for a number of clients accused of sex crimes.

Adamo & Adamo Law Firm has submitted many grand jury packets demonstrating why their clients’ cases should be dismissed. Let us show you what we need and how we do it.

Defending Sex Crimes In Texas

In Texas, Romeo and Juliet provide two main protections for sex crimes involving consensual sex:

1. Three-year age gap: If the accused is within three years of the alleged victim and the alleged victim was at least 14 years old, the prosecution may be barred.
2. Sex offender registration exemption: If the alleged victim is at least 15 years of age and the accused is not more than four years older, the accused may be exempt from having to register as a sex offender with local law enforcement.

Was The Officer’s Sex Crime Investigation Lawful?

With a dismissal rate eight times the national average, our Austin sex crime lawyers have the knowledge, skill and resources to guide you against:

• Unlawful sexual assault police investigations
• Unlawful detentions, searches and seizures in sex crimes investigations
• Unlawful warrants in sex crime cases
• Unlawful arrests
• Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations

If the officer’s actions were unlawful, our Austin sex crime lawyers will file a motion to suppress the unlawful evidence. If the evidence is suppressed, it cannot be used in a court of law. Suppressions lead to dismissals, and that is the goal for any client we take on.

Erasing The Sex Crime Offense From The Record

Texas law allows for a person’s record to be erased, and this includes some sex crime offenses. Factors that may make expungement possible include:

• If the sex crime was a minor offense that did not involve violence and occurred a long time ago
• If the offense was consensual
• If the accused has no prior sex crime incidents

Typically, in order to erase an arrest from your record, the case needs to be dismissed and the statute of limitations has to run. The problem is that charges like indecency with a child, sexual assault and continuous sexual abuse of a child do not have a statute of limitations. The purpose is to allow victims to bring accusations when they are older and long after the actual incident may have taken place. Despite this, the sex crime lawyers at Adamo & Adamo Law Firm have been able to obtain expungements for their clients’ cases after dismissal. Contact us to learn more.

Get Help From A Respected Criminal Defense Team

Prosecutors and judges are elected officials and do not want to appear soft on crime, especially when it comes to crimes of a sexual nature. Given the complexity of sex crime charges, you need an experienced legal team with the skill, knowledge and resources to pursue your freedom.

Adamo & Adamo Law Firm is a nationally recognized criminal defense law firm with a reputation for obtaining results other lawyers can’t. We will defend you. We will care for you. We won’t back down. Call us at Adamo & Adamo Law Firm or send an email using this contact form.