Sex Crimes

Are You a “High Risk” Sex Offender?

Published: Feb 14, 2020 in Child Sex Crimes, Sex Crimes, Sex Crimes Involving Children

Under Texas sex offender registration law, if you are labeled as a sex offender or released after January 1, 2000, you will be evaluated and assigned a risk level. The Risk Assessment Review Committee establishes the guidelines. Then, the court, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, or the Texas Youth Commission, will use this to determine your risk level. The process may describe you as a high-risk sex offender. This means there are signs that you are likely to continue unlawful sexual behavior. As you may suspect, this will have a…

Indecent Exposure and Public Lewdness: Know the Difference

Published: Feb 04, 2020 in Criminal Defense, Sex Crimes

The Texas Penal Code prohibits sexual conduct that is damaging to the well-being of society. This includes indecent exposure and public lewdness. As the name implies, indecent exposure involves exposing your genitals or anus in public with the intent to arouse or gratify. Public lewdness, however, is explicitly sexual conduct in public. Therefore, the penalties for public lewdness are harsher than for indecent exposure. For instance, if you get caught masturbating in public, you can be charged with indecent exposure. On the other hand, if you get caught having sex…

How Age is Determined in Child Porn Cases

Published: Jan 09, 2020 in Sex Crimes, Sex Crimes Involving Children

Whether or not you are convicted of intentionally creating, viewing, storing, or distributing child pornography in Texas might rest on whether you believed the person or people depicted in the materials were minors. At The Law Offices of Ned Barnett, we have helped many people who viewed pornography they reasonably believed only depicted adults. We know how law enforcement agencies and prosecutors determine age in child porn cases and how to fight back against flawed and unreliable evidence. Contact The Law Offices of Ned Barnett at (713) 222-6767 or online…

Fighting Accusations and Proving Sex Was Consensual

Published: Jan 02, 2020 in Sex Crimes

Being accused of sexual assault or another sex crime in Texas is not something to take lightly. An accusation can impact every part of your life, so you need to respond swiftly and carefully. Do not trust the justice system to do right by you. The goal of prosecutors is to find a guilty party, secure a conviction, and get the case off the docket. It’s essential that you prepare for the worst, secure an attorney, and learn more about proving sex was consensual. To discuss how to best defend…

Should I Try to Convince My Accuser to Drop Sexual Assault Charges

Published: Dec 17, 2019 in Sex Crimes

If you’ve been accused of a sexual assault, you probably thought about making contact with your accuser and trying to convince them to drop the charges. Not only is it generally a bad idea to talk to the alleged victim in a criminal case, the victim doesn’t even have the power to drop the charges. And contrary to popular belief, victims don’t decide to press charges in the first place–this decision is up to the prosecutor’s office and in more serious cases, a grand jury. In the rare circumstances where…