Archive for January, 2017

Texas DWI Defense Attorney Discusses DWI with Additional Charges

Thursday, January 19th, 2017

Sometimes, DWI is the only charge that results from a traffic stop or a motorist’s encounter with law enforcement. DWI is a serious charge with harsh consequences, and a driver who is charged with DWI has a tough road ahead of them to navigate. Unfortunately, some drivers end up getting charged with additional crimes along with their DWI charges.

Recently, a Texas driver got charged with fleeing from a police officer and resisting arrest, search, and transport, in addition to DWI after he failed to stop for the law enforcement officers who tried to pull him over. The police had to use their vehicles to prevent the driver from escaping. Once he exited his vehicle, the driver refused to cooperate with the officers, disregarding what they asked him to do and even attempting to walk away from the scene. When the officers tried to arrest him, he resisted. He even resisted getting into the police car, even after the officers Tasered him to get him to comply.

Fleeing a police officer and resisting arrest are just a few of the types of charges that can easily end up getting added to a DWI charge. Depending on the driver’s behavior and circumstances, they might also be charged with driving with a suspended license, DWI with a child passenger, assaulting police officers or having drugs in their possession. Most people know that a DWI will have a far-reaching set of consequences for a driver who is convicted of that offense. Incarceration, fines, license suspension, potential loss of job security, possible loss of housing, and the possible loss of other freedoms and resources can have a devastating combined impact on. When additional charges are added on to a DWI, they may increase the amount of fines, incarceration, and other penalties and they can also have consequences that reach even farther into the individual’s life, affecting their home and family life, their career, and other things that are important to them.

Texas DWI Defense Attorney Alex Tyra – Providing Strong Defense Against DWI and Related Charges

All Texas DWI defendants benefit from the assistance of experienced DWI defense counsel. Since there is even more at stake for individuals who are facing other charges in addition to their DWI, people have an even greater need for assistance from attorneys who are skilled at looking at all of the facts of a defendant’s situation and formulating a strong defense strategy. In Texas, DWI and criminal cases proceed through various stages, and a skilled DWI defense attorney can help you know what you can expect at every step of the way. Your attorney can also help you find answers to the many questions that are sure to arise over the course of your case. If you have been charged with DWI, whether with or without additional charges, it is time for you to take the important action step of protecting your rights today.  Call Texas DWI Defense Attorney Alex Tyra, at (903) 753-7499, or contact us via our convenient online contact form.

Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Talks about Inappropriate Relationships between Teachers and Students

Friday, January 6th, 2017

With any crime, the consequences that an individual may face if they are convicted can be far-reaching and can affect numerous areas of their life. One category of offenses that can dramatically affect a person’s career is sex offenses, especially if the individual has a job that involves working with children.

Some examples of situations in which prosecutions for sex offenses have affected careers are the cases involving inappropriate relationships between teachers and students. This category of cases is becoming more and more common in Texas, where some of the incidents that have occurred have made it to national news headlines.

There has been such a dramatic rise in allegations of inappropriate teacher-student relationships over the past few years that the Governor has called for new legislation to be passed sometime this year. Between 2013 and 2016, the number of prosecutions for inappropriate relationships between teachers and students increased by sixty percent.

Not all cases involving inappropriate relationships between teachers and students make the news, but one recent case has been receiving a large amount of national attention. In 2016, a former teacher was having a relationship with a thirteen-year-old student, and she became pregnant. The woman was charged with continuous sexual assault of a child; however, she reached a plea bargain by admitting to having committed the crime of aggravated sexual assault on a child. She could be sentenced to prison for up to thirty years for that lesser offense. If she had been convicted of continuous sexual assault of a child, she could have faced life in prison.

The Texas Education Agency wants lawmakers to pass legislation that will require school districts to revoke the teaching licenses of sex offenders, impose criminal penalties on superintendents who fail to report improper relationships, and compel witnesses to testify. The Agency would also like to receive funds to hire investigators to look into all allegations of inappropriate relationships between teachers and students. Currently, school districts can fire teachers who have had inappropriate relationships with students, but they are not yet able to revoke their licenses. The Agency hopes that stricter rules might encourage teachers to think more carefully before engaging in any conduct that could possibly be inappropriate because they would know that there is a lot at stake.

Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Alex Tyra – Helping Texans Fight for their Rights

Unfortunately, although some of the allegations of inappropriate teacher-student relationships have led to the prosecution of educators who have engaged in inappropriate conduct, there have also been some false accusations. Even though the contemplated legislation has not yet been passed, there is a lot at stake for any educator who is accused of having any sort of inappropriate relationship. If you are alleged to have any type of inappropriate relationship with a student, you are likely to have many questions and concerns. An experienced Texas criminal defense attorney can help you protect your rights. To learn more, please call Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Alex Tyra, at (903) 753-7499. Alternatively, you may contact us online.

Texas Family Law Attorney Talks about Divorces Involving Business Ownership

Sunday, January 1st, 2017

Some couples have relatively few types of assets to concern themselves with when they divorce. Others may own real estate, investments, or even one or more businesses. If you or your spouse owns a business, or, if you own a business together, it is essential that you take great care to ensure that the hard work that either or both of you have invested into your business over the years gets preserved during your divorce.

Just as with other types of assets, the issue of how to handle business ownership in a divorce is best addressed by agreement of the parties, and not by a judge who knows little or nothing about you, your family, and your business. Regardless of the current level of conflict in your divorce, it is important that you and your spouse work together with your attorneys to discuss the future of your business, and that the two of you make every effort to reach an agreement about what that future is.

In addition to working with your attorneys to discuss the future of your business, it is often worth consulting with a financial advisor because they can provide you and your attorney with valuable information like estimates of the value of the enterprise and its assets, cash flow, and liquidity. When you have gotten a clear picture of what your business is worth, you can begin to think about how you would like to acknowledge that value in your divorce settlement. There are many ways that couples who own one or more businesses, either together or separately, can structure a divorce settlement.

If you own a business that your spouse is not involved in, you may want to think about what other assets could, when taken as a group, have approximately the same value as the business. Your spouse may be happy to take that group of assets while you retain ownership, control, and all of the other benefits of your business. Of course, it is possible that your spouse may prefer a different arrangement, or they may be the one who owns the business, and you may have to engage in discussion about what will work well for each of you. It is possible that either or both of you are interested in selling your business, or in selling your interest in the firm. These are all potential solutions that you can discuss with your spouse. As you have these discussions, keep in mind that there are many creative ways that spouses can structure a divorce agreement involving a business, and any solution that the two of you can come up with is likely to work better for your family than a solution that is devised by the court.

If either you or your spouse owns a business or you own a business together, a Texas Family Law Attorney can help you to account for your business and all of your other assets as part of your Texas divorce. To learn more, please contact attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499 to arrange a consultation, or visit us online and submit a convenient online contact form.