Saturday

Brazoria County Criminal Attorney James Sullivan Gets Felony Cases Dismissed by Grand Jury

Pearland Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer James Sullivan has a proven record (see below) in getting felony cases no billed (dismissed) by the Grand Jury. When a person is accused of a felony offense, there may be the possibility of his defense attorney winning his felony case at the Grand Jury level. Depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, this may or may not be a viable option, so it is important to talk to an experienced criminal defense attorney. With this strategy, the accused in effect has two opportunities to win his case before a jury:

(1)    Grand Jury and, if indicted,
(2)    Jury Trial

If the Grand Jury votes that probable cause (i.e. a probability) does not exist to believe that the accused committed the offense, the case is no billed (dismissed). If the Grand Jury votes that probable cause does exist, then the case is true billed (indicted). If a case is indicted, then the accused may have to have a Jury Trial in order to get the best result. A Jury Trial is more expensive and involves much more time and legal work.

Because prosecutors in Harris county generally seek to present felony cases to the Grand Jury between the first and second court setting, it is extremely important to hire a defense attorney right away.  Unless a defense attorney requests that the prosecutor hold the case from the Grand Jury in order to prepare a defense packet, the prosecutor will seek an indictment from the Grand Jury soon after the felony charge is filed.

NOTE: In surrounding counties, prosecutors usually present the case to a Grand Jury to secure an indictment before an arrest warrant is issued. Therefore, it is extremely important to hire a good defense attorney while the criminal case is under investigation.

Recently, in Montgomery County, a man was being investigated for sexual abuse against his teenage nephew.  The man hired James Sullivan who immediately contacted the DA's office in Conroe and asked that the case be held from the Grand Jury. Two months later, based upon the defense packet Sullivan prepared, the Grand Jury no billed the case. The prosecutor assigned to the case remarked that that was the first time a defense attorney intervened on one of her cases and got it no billed.  The client was so grateful he posted this review on the AVVO website:
I cannot thank you enough for your help with my case in Montgomery county. It was a very serious accusation against me.  My teenage nephew falsely accused me of molesting him.  You took our initial call on a weekend and assured us then that everything would turn out fine. You explained that it was very important for a good attorney to get involved before indictment because you believed a good defense attorney could get the case no billed by the grand jury.  And, that's exactly what you did.  You are very talented and professional at what you do. I cannot thank you enough for standing beside me, believing in me and and most importantly, your confidence. You are truly a super lawyer. 
~K.M.
Once an accused is indicted, this option is no longer available.  Therefore, time is of the essence in retaining an experienced defense attorney.

Since 1994, Pearland Texas Criminal Lawyer James Sullivan has worked to get dozens of felony cases no billed by the Grand Jury. These felony cases include Sexual Assault of a Child, Attempted Murder, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, Aggravated Assault, Assault Family Member by Impeding Breathing (choking), Forgery, Evading Arrest by Motor Vehicle and Burglary of a Habitation. The graph below lists 22 of those felony cases that were no billed since November 2008.

DATE
CASE #
CT #
TEXAS CRIMINAL OFFENSE
ACTUAL RESULT
ALL CASES NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY WERE BASED ON DEFENSE PACKETS
11/06/12
CASE NOT YET FILED
INDECENCY WITH A CHILD (2° Felony) IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of sexually abusing his 16 year old nephew)
09/21/12
1356656
180TH
ASSAULT FAMILY  MEMBER/IMPEDING BREATHING (3° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of choking his girlfriend during an argument)
08/17/12
1340646
184TH  
INJURY TO A CHILD (1° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of breaking his infant son’s leg and 3 ribs. The hospital ER physician did not consider other medical disorders as a cause)
05/30/12
1336650
351ST
ASSAULT FAMILY  MEMBER/IMPEDING BREATHING (3° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of choking his wife during an argument)
05/25/12
1341002
183RD
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT FAMILY MEMBER (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of intentionally trying to drive into and strike her girlfriend)
05/18/12
1338389
339TH
EVADING BY MOTOR VEHICLE (3° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of evading police in her car when she drove about ½  mile after the officer switched on his strobe lights)
04/19/12
1332791
185TH
SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of having sex with 16 year old girl who falsely claimed she was 18)
12/07/11
1321679
184TH
BURGLARY OF A HABITATION (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused breaking into home while homeowner was home, however client had credible alibi witnesses at the time of the alleged burglary)
07/15/11
1302447
232ND
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of intentionally driving into and striking the new girlfriend of her ex-boyfriend)
05/27/11
1302814
232ND
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of hitting man in head with beer bottle outside a bar;  client claimed self-defense)
05/20/11
1291937
263RD
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AGAINST PUBLIC SERVANT (1° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Police Officer shot at 4 unarmed teenagers in a truck and claimed that client pointed a gun at him)
01/06/11
1281977
174TH
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of hitting other woman in head with metal pole)
01/05/11
1281428
174TH
ASSAULT FAMILY VIOLENCE 2nd OFFENDER (Felony Habitual)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY AFTER FACING 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON (Client accused of hitting wife multiple times after both had been drinking)
12/03/10
1283460
232ND
SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of consensual sex with underage female)
10/21/10
1275771
180TH
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of injuring another man, using knuckles)
09/23/10
1270564
176TH
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client was accused of using a knife to threaten another man who the client accused of stealing his property from his apartment)
08/24/10
1264919
232ND
SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of consensual sex with underage female)
04/08/10
1252585
262ND
FORGERY OF A FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT (3° FELONY)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of knowingly passing a counterfeit $100 bill at store)
02/24/10
1241754
177TH
AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD (1° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of molesting his sister-in-law)
02/24/10
1241755
177TH
AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD (1° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of molesting his sister-in-law)
11/23/09
1231727
179TH
SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client accused of consensual sex with underage female)
05/20/09
1203539
337TH
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (2° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY
11/13/08
1182231
179TH
BURGLARY OF A HABITATION WITH INTENT TO COMMIT ASSAULT (1° Felony)
NO BILLED BY GRAND JURY (Client was accused of breaking into an apartment and attacking the occupants after a drug deal went bad)

Attorney James Sullivan is an experienced Brazoria County Criminal Defense Attorney serving Greater Houston and Texas since 1994. You can call James Sullivan and Associates right now at 281-546-6428.