If you have been charged with sexual assault in Fort Worth or a surrounding area of Tarrant County, it will be enormously important for you to contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer. Convictions for sexual assault may result in a litany of serious consequences, including prison time, requirements to register as a sex offender, steep fines, and/or a negative on your career or personal relationships.
Keep in mind that allegations of sexual assault or sexual abuse can arise from a variety of situations and can often stem from false accusations. Defenses or other mitigating alleged offenders could be available to help you avoid a conviction for the charges against you. Therefore, it is essential to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney in the Tarrant County area who will identify the best legal strategy for your particular case.
If you were charged with sexual assault in Tarrant County, or any of the surrounding areas in Texas, including Arlington, Azle, Bedford, Benbrook, Blue Mound, Burleson, Colleyville, Crowley, Dalworthington Gardens, Edgecliff Village, Euless, Everman, Flower Mound, Forest Hill, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Haltom City, Haslet, Hurst, Keller, Kennedale, Lakeside, Lake Worth, Mansfield, Newark, North Richland Hills, Pantego, Pelican Bay, Reno, Richland Hills, River Oaks, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Southlake, Trophy Club, Watauga, Westlake, Westover Hills, Westworth Village, or White Settlement, contact the Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy.
Attorney Richard McConathy is experienced in defending all kinds of sex crime allegations and will make every effort to help you achieve the most desirable outcome for your particular situation. Call our firm for a consultation at (817) 422-5350 about your sexual assault allegations.
A person commits a sexual assault offense under Texas Penal Code § 22.011 if they intentionally or knowingly cause the penetration of the anus or sexual organ of another person by any means, without that person’s consent; cause the penetration of the mouth of another person by the sexual organ of the alleged offender, without that person’s consent; or cause the sexual organ of another person, without that person’s consent, to contact or penetrate the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of another person, including the alleged offender; or regardless of whether the person knows the age of the child at the time of the offense, the person intentionally or knowingly causes the penetration of the anus or sexual organ of a child by any means; causes the penetration of the mouth of a child by the sexual organ of the alleged offender; causes the sexual organ of a child to contact or penetrate the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of another person, including the alleged offender; causes the anus of a child to contact the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of another person, including the alleged offender; or causes the mouth of a child to contact the anus or sexual organ of another person, including the alleged offender.
A sexual assault is without the consent of the other person if:
A sexual assault offense is usually punishable as a second-degree felony, which can result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
Sexual assault can instead be a first-degree felony if a person whom the alleged offender was prohibited from marrying or purporting to marry or with whom the alleged offender was prohibited from living under the appearance of being married under Texas Penal Code § 25.01; or a person with whom the alleged offender was prohibited from engaging in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse under Texas Penal Code § 25.02. This degree of offense can result in a prison sentence of up to 99 years or life imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
It is a state jail felony if the offense is committed under Texas Penal Code § 22.011(a)(1) (causing the penetration of the anus or sexual organ of another person by any means, without that person’s consent) and the alleged offender had not received express consent as described by Texas Penal Code § 22.011(b)(12) (the alleged offender is a health care services provider who, in the course of performing an assisted reproduction procedure on the other person, uses human reproductive material from a donor knowing that the other person has not expressly consented to the use of material from that donor).
Additionally, according to Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, anyone who has been convicted of a sexual assault offense is required to register as a sex offender for life with their local law enforcement authority.
The Laws In Your State: Texas | RAINN — RAINN is the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Visit this website to learn more about rape and sexual assault crime definitions, consent, and mandatory reporting. You can also find information about criminal statutes of limitations, termination of rapists’ parental rights, and confidentiality laws.
A Legal Resource About Sexual Assault | Texas Law Help — This article provides information on civil suits and survivors’ rights and is excerpted in whole from a pamphlet by Texas Association Against Sexual Assault. Find information about survivor’s rights, including the rights to make the decision whether to file a police report or information report, be provided with written notice of crime victims’ rights and information and referrals, including a referral to a sexual assault program, at initial contact with law enforcement, sensitive and skilled treatment in texas emergency rooms, refuse to take a lie detector test, use a pseudonym and have her or his name, address and phone number kept out of court files relating to their case, reimbursement, through the crime victims’ compensation program, for financial losses resulting from the criminal conduct, including medical costs, moving costs and lost wages, have her or his attacker tested for hiv and receive notice of the test results after indictment, have her or his safety considered when bail is set, be notified of all legal proceedings, including parole proceedings, after making a written request for notification, a private waiting area, separate from other witnesses, before testifying in court, write a victim impact statement and have the statement considered during punishment and parole proceedings, and upon meeting certain eligibility requirements, maintain a confidential address through the texas address confidentiality program. As the website notes with the statute of limitations, felony indictments have no time limits when they involve continuous sexual abuse of a young child/children, aggravated sexual assault of a child, sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child, or sexual assault of an adult if DNA evidence is present, and there is a limit of 20 years for sexual performance by a child, aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit sexual offense, and burglary of a habitation with intent to commit sexual offense, but sexual assault of an adult or aggravated sexual assault of an adult must be presented within 10 years.
Contact us today for a consultation about your accusations of sexual assault in Tarrant County in Texas. Richard McConathy is an experienced Dallas sex crime lawyer who will make every effort to help you avoid the most serious punishments and consequences of your alleged offense.
Call the Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy at (817) 422-5350 or contact us online for a consultation about your alleged sexual assault offense throughout Tarrant County in Texas and the surrounding counties of Dallas County, Collin County, and Denton County.