Recent Blog Posts
Can You Be Arrested For A Sex Crime Based On A Text Message?
A text message can be enough to start a serious sex crime investigation in Galveston County, and under some circumstances, the message itself can form a major part of the alleged offense. Police do not always need physical evidence, an eyewitness to sexual contact, or an in-person meeting before seeking an arrest. A conversation… Read More »
Can A Sex Crime Case Continue Without The Alleged Victim’s Cooperation?
A person accused of a sex crime may believe the case will disappear if the alleged victim no longer wants to cooperate with police or prosecutors. That assumption can create serious problems. In Texas, the alleged victim does not control whether criminal charges are filed, prosecuted, reduced, or dismissed. Once law enforcement and prosecutors… Read More »
How Sting Operations Are Used In Online Sex Crime Cases
Online sex crime investigations often begin long before an arrest takes place. Law enforcement agencies in Galveston County may use undercover officers, fictitious online profiles, recorded chats, text messages, social media accounts, and arranged meetings to investigate suspected offenses involving minors. In many cases, the person communicating online is not actually speaking with a… Read More »
What Happens If Police Seize Your Phone In A Child Pornography Investigation?
When police seize a phone during a child pornography investigation, the device may become one of the most important pieces of evidence in the entire case. Investigators may believe the phone contains images, videos, messages, browsing activity, cloud-account information, file-sharing records, or other digital evidence connected to an alleged offense. The seizure itself does… Read More »
Can You Be Charged With A Sex Crime Without Physical Evidence?
Yes. A person can be investigated, arrested, charged, and even convicted of certain sex crimes in Texas without DNA, fingerprints, photographs, physical injuries, or other forensic evidence. This surprises many people who assume prosecutors must have scientific proof before they can file a serious sexual offense charge. In many cases, the accusation itself becomes… Read More »
Can Federal Agents Search Your Phone Without A Warrant?
A cellphone can contain years of private information, including photographs, text messages, emails, location history, financial records, social media communications, and contacts. When federal agents seize a phone during an investigation or arrest, one of the first questions we examine is whether they had lawful authority to search its digital contents. In most ordinary… Read More »
How Long Can Police Hold Me Based On Reasonable Suspicion?
Being stopped by police does not always mean you are under arrest. An officer may temporarily detain someone based on reasonable suspicion even when the officer does not yet have probable cause to make an arrest. That authority, however, has limits. Police cannot use reasonable suspicion as an excuse to hold someone indefinitely while… Read More »
Can Police Stop Me Because I Am In A High Crime Area?
If you are walking down the street, standing outside a business, sitting in a parked car, or spending time in a neighborhood that police call a high-crime area, that alone does not give officers the legal right to stop you. Police may watch areas more closely if there have been recent reports of shootings,… Read More »
What Happens If Police Find Drugs In A Shared Vehicle?
Just because drugs are found in a car does not mean everyone inside actually possessed them. This is especially true when friends, spouses, coworkers, or borrowers share a vehicle. Police might suspect everyone at first, but suspicion is not the same as what must be proven in court. Texas law requires proof that someone… Read More »
How To Defend Against A Resisting Arrest Charge In Galveston
A charge of resisting arrest can come about as a result of a confrontation that lasts just a few seconds, even though the effects can continue to follow you for a long time. Such cases usually start when an officer states that the person moved away, became stiff in one arm, put up a… Read More »
