Being charged with a sex crime can be one of the most difficult types of offenses to be charged with. Even if the offense is a misdemeanor, there can be an overwhelming sense of embarrassment that comes with having to face an accusation of this nature. It is not the job of a criminal defense attorney to judge his clients.
Experienced criminal defense attorneys know that good people make mistakes and that no one should not be judged by a single embarrassing accusation. Two offenses that are regularly charged in the Houston area are public lewdness and indecent exposure.
These two sexually related offenses share some elements in common. Both can lead to serious legal and professional consequences. If you are charged with either of these two offenses, hiring an effective criminal defense attorney will help maximize your chances of keeping the accusation off your record. Sex crimes can be highly specialized and hiring an attorney with experience in indecent exposure and public lewdness is critical. Indecent exposure is regularly charged in the Houston area.
Under the Texas Penal Code Typically, these cases are charged after a person is caught masturbating in a public place or a place where others are likely to see. On occasion, agencies like the Houston Police Department engage in stings in areas like adult bookstores or movie theaters where there are complaints of men openly masturbating. In these instances, a criminal defense attorney should argue that it is impossible to be reckless about whether another person will be offended since everyone at the establishment is there for the express purpose of viewing pornography.
Additionally, a second conviction carries sex offender registration for a period of 10 years after any probation of jail time although a deferred adjudication probation would not count as a conviction.
