Houston Grand Jury Defense Attorney
Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer James Sullivan has a proven
record (see below) in getting felony cases no billed (dismissed) by the Grand
Jury in Harris and surrounding counties. 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 chances 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 smaller counties, prosecutors usually present the alleged facts of the case to the Grand Jury to secure an indictment instead of filing charges first. This means that--as soon as a person knows that he is being investigated for a criminal case--he needs to hire a good defense attorney. Recently, James Sullivan was hired by a man in Montgomery County who was being investigated for molesting his nephew. Sullivan called the DA's office and asked them to hold the case from the grand jury so that he could prepare a defense packet. Two months later, his case was no billed by the Grand Jury. He was so grateful he wrote and posted this review on AVVO--
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, Houston 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 23 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 Houston Criminal and
Juvenile Defense Trial Attorney serving Greater Houston and Texas since 1994. James Sullivan is also Board Certified in
Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Contact James Sullivan and Associates at (281) 546-6428 for a free confidential consultation.
Contact James Sullivan and Associates at (281) 546-6428 for a free confidential consultation.
Our Houston criminal lawyers defend clients charged with crimes in district courts and county criminal courts, including domestic violence (assault of a family member), drug possession or drug delivery, violent crimes, and juvenile delinquency.
