Waco Texas Legal Blog

Indictment targets 17 defendants

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in Drug Crimes on Sunday, September 8, 2019.

People in Texas who are arrested can understandably feel scared and unsure of what to expect. Even though the law indicates that every person is innocent until proven guilty, it can seem to a defendant that the public may already view them as guilty simply on the basis of their arrest. Reading media reports about arrests makes this evident as such reports rarely focus on the potential for a person to be found innocent.

There are today 17 different people who might fall into the category of feeling all but convicted by public opinion despite the fact that their cases have yet to be tried. According to a report by KVUE, the 17 individuals have been charged with various offenses related to their alleged participation in a drug ring. Together, the group is said to have conspired to distribute heroin and methamphetamine in multiple cities across Alabama and Texas. The activity is supposed to have been underway since sometime last year.

Can a court order you to attend rehab?

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in Drug Crimes on Friday, August 30, 2019.

When you have drug charges on your record, a Texas drug court may sometimes order you to get treatment. You may wonder if you have to accept this treatment and what these rehab programs might be like.

Courts might suggest treatment for many drug offenses. DrugRehab.com says courts might order treatment if your charges include drug possession or theft to obtain money to purchase drugs. Additionally, courts may require you to go through a rehab program if you have fewer than three drug charges on your record or if officials suspect you have an addiction.

Can my personality traits be used against me in a criminal trial?

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law on Wednesday, August 28, 2019.

Being a defendant in a criminal trial can be emotionally grueling, not only because there is so much at stake. As a defendant, even the most private details about your personal life may be brought to light in front of the courts.

Everyone has personality flaws and everyone has done foolish things that they regret. But unfortunately, when you are on trial as a defendant in a criminal trial, these things will be analyzed, and may even be used as evidence to argue that you committed the crime you are accused of.

What is consent in Texas?

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in felonies & violent crimes on Monday, August 19, 2019.

If you are a Texas resident, it is important to know your state’s sexual assault laws surrounding consent. Sex acts may become rape when consent is lacking, and the definition is not always intuitive. The following are several situations that affect whether someone has consented to a sexual act.

Many consent laws in Texas are centered on a person’s awareness of what he or she is doing. For instance, someone may be unable to consent if he or she is unknowingly given a substance affecting his or her ability to appraise the situation, has a mental disease diminishing the ability to assess the circumstances, is unconscious, or is otherwise unaware the sexual assault is happening to him or her.

Domestic terrorism not a specific crime in the U.S.

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in federal criminal defense on Tuesday, August 13, 2019.

In the wake of the most recent mass shootings in the United States, one of which took place in the state of Texas, residents everywhere are closely watching what will happen next in the legal proceedings involving the alleged shooters. While the man in Ohio accused of killing multiple people died himself, the man who is said to have opened fire and killed several people in El Paso is alive and may be charged with federal hate crimes.

The choice to charge the defendant with a federal hate crime may surprise some people when they also hear references to him as a domestic terrorist. They may, understandably, wonder why he is not being charged with a crime of domestic terrorism. As explained in a report by Vox, domestic terrorism is not actually a crime under the law in the United States today.

What is the attractive nuisance doctrine?

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in Personal Injury on Monday, July 22, 2019.

As a parent in Waco, it is your job to worry about your kids. You understand that outside your doors are a number of things that can cause them harm. You hope that they will recognize any dangers that they encounter, yet because of their inexperience, they may not fully grasp the risks that certain elements pose. The expectation, then, is that those adults who have control over those elements will assist you in protecting your kids from them. Yet does that expectation (or more specifically, a failure to fulfill it) equate to liability?

The Cornell Law School states that the attractive nuisance doctrine assigns the responsibility of protecting children from potentially dangerous artificial conditions to the owners of the properties on which those conditions reside. The justification for this is that property owners should expect that children (young children in particular) lack the understanding to fully comprehend the dangers that the conditions pose. This responsibility remains in place even if your child accesses a dangerous condition without the property owner's permission.

Challenging breathalyzer accuracy

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in criminal defense on Monday, July 8, 2019.

The common image associated with a charge for driving under the influence of alcohol is a person standing on the side of the road blowing into a hand-held breath measurement device. Indeed, the breathalyzer device has become so symbolic of DUI charges that many in Waco may think that a failed breath test is all that is needed to warrant a conviction. Yet in reality, breathalyzer results can often be disputed.

When a person consumes alcohol, the individual alcohol molecules permeate the lining of the organs of their gastrointestinal tract and get into the bloodstream, eventually reaching the lungs where they come in contact with oxygen and are vaporized and later expelled when the person breathes. Trace amounts of alcohol on the blood are expelled with each breath, causing more alcohol to be vaporized in order for the alcohol content in the blood to remain in equilibrium.

A DWI can change your life for years to come

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law on Friday, July 5, 2019.

A DWI is a serious charge. Even if it's the first time you've driven while intoxicated or you weren't over the .08% limit, it's possible to be penalized severely.

As someone who is facing a DWI, it is important that you are able to protect yourself and your interests. Why? A DWI can cost thousands of dollars, affect your ability to drive and impact your social circle. You might lose your job or find it hard to get the kind of work you want in the future.

Why is swimming pool safety so important?

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in Personal Injury on Sunday, June 23, 2019.

With warm weather finally here, people in Texas are keen to visit swimming pools for a bit of rest and relaxation. While swimming is definitely fun, it's also important to take all the proper safety steps to keep you and others secure. The Red Cross explains how you can do just that.

First and foremost, any pools you attend should have rules and guidelines in place to ensure swimmers remain safe. If alcohol is involved, adults should refrain from using the pool while drinking. Even a strong swimmer can run into trouble while inebriated, which leads to the second point; no one should ever be allowed to swim alone. This is especially true when it comes to kids, who should always swim with a buddy and have an undistracted adult supervise the entire time. If a pool is shallow, swimmers should be informed that no diving is permitted.

New bills address addicition and overdose problem

On behalf of Russell D. Hunt Sr., Attorney at Law posted in Drug Crimes on Friday, June 7, 2019.

If you or someone you know in Texas has struggled with a drug addiction, you know all too well just how challenging and heart wrenching this problem can be. All around the country, more and more people are starting to realize that addiction is a problem that needs to be addressed in new ways. Those ways may not always involve putting people in jail or prison after a drug-related arrest.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 3,000 people died due to drug overdoses in Texas in 2017 alone. Now, there are two bills making their way through the state legislature that address the problem of overdoses. The Statesman indicates these bills are similar to what many other states refer to as Good Samaritan laws.