Fort Bend County Sex Crime Lawyer

Fort Bend County Sex Crime Attorney

If you are accused of a sex crime in Fort Bend County, your entire future is at stake. Sex crimes are serious offenses, and these criminal charges can have a destructive impact on the rest of your life.

You could soon be up to your ears in monetary fines, serving time in a prison cell, and, in some cases, face restrictions on where you can live. Hiring a Fort Bend County sex crime lawyer gives you the greatest chance of a favorable case outcome.

On top of all of the legal implications, you will forever battle social stigma and have a permanent stain on your reputation that makes it difficult to get a job and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships.

No matter the exact nature of your charge, you need to get in touch with a reliable criminal defense lawyer, like those at Segura & Kiatta, LLP, as soon as you can to protect yourself. When you hire the right lawyer with a proven track record of defending people accused of sexual crimes, you are taking the greatest possible route toward a positive outcome in your case.

What Is a Sex Crime?

A sex crime is any crime in which a person engages in sexual contact with another person. It is forced, non-consensual, involving minors, or in exchange for payment. There are many different types of sex crimes that you can be convicted of in Texas, including the following:

• Sexual Assault: If you engage in sexual activity with someone else without their consent.
• Aggravated Sexual Assault: If you are accused of engaging in non-consensual activity with another person, and the person is under the age of 14, involves a deadly weapon, or it results in serious bodily harm to that person.
• Indecency with a Child: If you are accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior toward a child in a sexual manner. This includes exposing genitals, forcing a child to engage in sexual contact with genitals, and more.
• Sexual Assault of a Child: If you are accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with any person under the age of 17, even if you thought the other person was over the age of 17 or they expressed consent.
• Continuous Sexual Abuse: If you are accused of engaging in two or more sexual acts with a child under 14 during a period that is longer than 30 days.
• Online Solicitation of a Minor: If you are accused of using the internet or any form of electronic communication to solicit sexual activity from someone under the age of 17.
• Possession of Child Pornography: If you are accused of downloading or distributing pornographic material involving minors.
• Prostitution: If you are accused of offering or agreeing to exchange money for sexual conduct.

Sex crimes often involve difficult, vulnerable situations that take place in private. As a result, it can be difficult to prove who is telling the truth when someone accuses another person of a sex crime.

If you have been wrongly accused of a sex crime, it is vital that you get a legal professional on your side so that someone can tell your side of the story and defend your interests.

What Are the Penalties for Sex Crimes in Fort Bend County?

The penalties that you could be looking at for a sex crime conviction in Fort Bend will depend on what the court classifies the act as. For instance, some sex crimes could be considered Class A, B, or C misdemeanors. Some potential penalties for misdemeanor sex crimes in Texas include;

• Class A: A maximum of one year in jail and $4,000 in monetary fines
• Class B: A maximum of 180 days in jail and $2,000 in monetary fines
• Class C: A maximum of $500 in monetary fines

If you are accused of a more serious sex crime, such as aggravated sexual assault or the sexual assault of a child, you will be looking at a felony charge and, therefore, much harsher penalties. The Texas legal system classifies felonies as either first, second, or third-degree, or sometimes state jail level. The penalties you can expect to face for each category include:

• State Jail: A maximum of two years in state jail and $10,000 in monetary fines
• Third Degree: A minimum of two and a maximum of ten years in prison and up to $10,000 in monetary fines.
• Second Degree: A minimum of two and a maximum of twenty years in prison and up to $10,000 in monetary fines
• First Degree: Between five and ninety-nine years to life in prison and up to $10,000 in monetary fines.
• The offenses of Continuous Sexual Abuse and Aggravated Sexual Assault of a child under the age of 6, have a minimum sentence of 25 years and there is no parole for these offenses.
• A person with a previous conviction for a sexual offense may face a mandatory life sentence if convicted of a second sexual offense.

Depending on the sex crime that you are convicted of, you might also have to register as a sex offender, which can create a permanent social stigma around you and strain your personal relationships.

Registered sex offenders also often encounter challenges like having to follow curfews, facing restrictions on where they can live, and encountering barriers to attending school.

If you have to spend time in prison for a sex crime, you will also likely face a lot of hurdles when it comes to getting a job. This can create even more financial strain and stress and increase the damage to your reputation.

To protect your life as you know it, your future, your assets, and your relationships with those you love, you will need an effective criminal defense lawyer to do everything they can to protect you at this time.

How Can a Criminal Defense Attorney Defend You Against Sex Crime Charges?

You might feel like there is no hope for you after being accused of a sex crime, but that is not the case. The right criminal defense attorney will be well-versed in charges like yours and immediately jump into crafting an informed defense strategy.

For instance, some possible ways to defend against sex charges include:

• Using evidence to prove you were at a different place at the time of the incident
• Proving that this is a case of mistaken identity and someone else committed the act
• Discrediting the accusers by showing that they are not in their right state of mind or were also not in the place at the time
• Relying on forensic psychologists to assess witnesses’ reliability
• Bringing in character witnesses to vouch for your character
• Pointing out if your constitutional rights were violated during your arrest
• Showing that coercion was involved
• Proving that the act was consensual and, therefore, not a crime (if a child was not involved)

As soon as you get in touch with your sex crime lawyer, they can evaluate what the most effective legal approach is for your circumstance. Whether it be pleading guilty and negotiating a light sentence or pleading not guilty and collecting evidence for an air-tight defense in the courtroom, you can trust that your lawyer knows the right path to take.

Is There a Statute of Limitations on Child Molestation in Texas?

Some crimes have a statute of limitations, which means that there is a limited period of time that a person has to report a crime. However, many sex crimes do not have any limitations period.

The state expanded the statute of limitations to this window of time because many young people do not completely understand what happened to them until they are adults or do not feel safe speaking out about abuse when they are minors.

What Is the Statute of Limitations on Indecent Assault in Texas?

Indecent assault is a sex crime involving any action that attempts to gratify or arouse the person doing it without the other person’s consent. For instance, touching another person’s genitals and exposing one’s genitalia to another adult all fall under the category of indecent assault.

If you are found guilty of indecent assault in Texas, you will face a Class A misdemeanor charge and can expect to spend time in jail as a consequence.

In Texas, the statute of limitations for pursuing charges in an indecent assault case is two years. This means if someone tries to accuse you of indecent assault two or more years after the incident, then they do not have the legal right to do so.

If you have been accused of a sex crime and believe that the statute of limitations for this accusation has passed, you should reach out to an experienced criminal defense attorney who can advise you on how to dismiss the charges.

An Experienced Sex Crime Lawyer Who Will Fight for You

If you or someone you love was accused of a crime, you might not know where to turn. Whether you are hesitant about legal fees or worried about social stigma, Segura and Kiatta can take those worries off of your shoulders.

Both attorneys have successfully defended people accused of serious crimes time and time again. They can respectfully listen to your case and are ready to formulate a strong defense and help you understand how to navigate the complex legal system in Texas.

It is normal to be scared of the penalties facing you or to feel the urge to lash out against those accusing you, but let a knowledgeable legal professional handle your defense and protect your interests. Segura & Kiatta, LLP, is just a phone call away.

Get in touch with us today to set your defense in motion. If you are facing a sex crimes charge in Fort Bend, no matter what it is, the most useful thing you can do to protect yourself is to hire a lawyer who is familiar with how to defend a case like yours.