Sugar Land Sex Crime Defense Attorney
Sex crime accusations in Sugar Land, Texas, fundamentally change everything about your life the moment they surface. Police begin investigating, prosecutors start building their case, and word spreads through your workplace and community before you’ve had any opportunity to present your side.
These allegations carry a unique weight in Fort Bend County Courts even when they are false. Prosecutors pursue convictions aggressively and juries often enter the courtroom with preconceived notions about guilt.
If investigators have reached out, your next move matters. Before you return a call or meet with a detective, gather your messages, photos, and a list of anyone who was with you. Then speak with our experienced Sugar Land sex crime defense lawyers.
We handle these cases in Sugar Land and across Fort Bend County from the first investigation through trial. Our board-certified sex crime defense attorneys in Sugar Land, Texas, lead a focused plan: secure time-sensitive evidence, review the outcry and follow-up statements, and push for what the affidavit leaves out—phones, location data, medical findings, and witness context.
You don’t have to navigate this alone or guess what to say. Our skilled legal team at Scheiner DWI & Criminal Defense Lawyers handle contact with law enforcement, protect your rights at every step, and build the defense with the facts that don’t fit the accusation.
Facing false sex crime accusations in Sugar Land, Texas? Call (713) 783-8998 for immediate legal protection.
Falsely Accused of a Sex Crime in Sugar Land? Start Here
An accusation can upend your life fast—HR may suspend you, a judge can issue a no-contact order, and family dynamics change overnight. That can happen before you’ve had any chance to respond.
Step 1: Do You Talk to Police?
Never speak to law enforcement without an attorney present, even if you believe you can clear things up. Police are trained to ask questions that can trap innocent people into making statements that sound incriminating.
You have the constitutional right to remain silent and request a lawyer. Use these rights immediately, as cooperation without legal counsel almost always hurts your defense later.
Step 2: Do You Preserve Evidence?
Document everything that could support your innocence, but don’t delete anything from your devices. Destroying potential evidence can lead to separate obstruction charges and makes you look guilty.
Save these:
- Text/DM threads (export or screenshot full conversations, including timestamps and contact names).
- Emails with the accuser or related parties (download as .eml/.pdf).
- Photos/videos that place you elsewhere at the time (keep originals with metadata).
- Names and numbers of witnesses (who saw you, spoke with you, or can verify the timeline).
Also:
- Turn off auto-delete in Messages/WhatsApp/Telegram; stop using disappearing messages.
- Back up your phone (iCloud/Google) before making any changes.
- Don’t “clean up” devices or rename files—preserve the original metadata.
Step 3: Avoid Contact with the Accuser
Stop all communication with the person making the accusation. Contact through friends, family, or social media can be treated as witness tampering, harassment, or a protective-order violation.
Even a short “Why are you doing this?” message can show up in court stripped of context. Route everything through our experienced Sugar Land sex offense lawyers.
Why Choose Our Board-Certified Defense Team?
When your freedom and reputation are on the line, you need a Fort Bend County defense team that tries these cases—not just talks about them.
We’ve defended Texans falsely accused of child sexual abuse, child pornography possession, prostitution, sexual assault, indecency, online solicitation, and improper relationship cases across Sugar Land and the county, from the first interview to the verdict.
Board Certification, Trial Results, and Forensic Experience
Grant Scheiner is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization—a credential earned through a specialty exam and documented trial experience.
What that means in practice
- Forensics we actually use: We retain DNA and toxicology experts, challenge chain-of-custody gaps, and review digital extractions (Cellebrite/GrayKey) for over-collection and scope violations.
- Police-procedure checks: We scrutinize outcry interviews, warrant affidavits, and Miranda/Article 38.22 compliance—and move to suppress when the record supports it.
- Trial bench strength: Our team has obtained dismissals, no-bills, reductions, and not-guilty verdicts in felony cases.
- We teach the craft: Attorney Grant Scheiner regularly trains lawyers on cross-examination and trial strategy at continuing-legal-education programs.
Local Fort Bend County Insight and Courtroom Strategy
We’ve defended clients in Sugar Land courts for decades. This local experience means we understand how Fort Bend County prosecutors build their cases and what strategies work best with local judges and juries.
Our familiarity with the courthouse, law enforcement agencies, and legal procedures gives your case a significant advantage from day one.
What Charges Do We Defend in Fort Bend County?
Texas prosecutes sex offenses hard, and the stakes are high. Every charge has specific elements the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt, and small details in the facts often decide outcomes.
Sexual Assault and Aggravated Sexual Assault
In plain terms, sexual assault under Texas Penal Code § 22.011 means any non-consensual sexual act—penetrating someone’s sexual organ or anus, placing your sexual organ in someone’s mouth, or causing a person’s sexual organ to touch or penetrate another person’s mouth, anus, or sexual organ.
And when the allegation involves a child under 17, the law applies regardless of supposed “consent,” with lack of consent also shown by force, threats, coercion, or when a person is unconscious or otherwise unable to consent.
Indecency With a Child and Child Sexual Abuse
Indecency with a child covers two types of conduct involving minors under 17. Contact cases involve touching a child’s genitals or breasts, while exposure cases involve showing private parts to arouse sexual desire.
Both charges are serious felonies that require mandatory sex offender registration. The prosecution doesn’t need to prove the child was harmed—only that the conduct occurred with sexual intent.
Online Solicitation of a Minor
Online solicitation cases turn on the messages. Investigators usually rely on app chats, timestamps, and any plan to meet as proof that you meant to have sexual contact with someone you believed was under 17.
Many cases come from stings. An officer poses as a teen and chats from a controlled account. Our job is to read the thread the way a jury will: who raised sex first, how age was stated, whether plans were specific, and whether officers pushed the conversation there.
If the record shows hesitation, mixed signals about age, or no concrete plan, we argue lack of criminal intent; if law enforcement steered the talk into sex or a meeting, we raise entrapment.
Possession or Promotion of Child Pornography
Possession means knowingly having child pornography on any device you control. Promotion involves distributing, selling, or sharing such material with others.
These cases can be prosecuted in both state and federal court. Federal charges typically carry longer mandatory sentences and fewer opportunities for probation.
Improper Teacher Student Relationship
Texas law makes sexual contact between educators and students illegal regardless of the student’s age or consent. This includes teachers, coaches, and other school employees having relationships with students at their school or district.
A conviction is a felony. It typically triggers a report to TEA, certificate revocation proceedings, and a permanent record that shuts you out of future school employment. If you’re under investigation, speak with counsel before meeting with administrators or detectives.
Prostitution and Solicitation
Solicitation refers to offering money or something of value for sexual services. Prostitution means taking part in sexual conduct in exchange for payment.
These charges are often misdemeanors, but they can be upgraded to felonies if there are prior convictions—or if a minor is involved.
Sexual Coercion
Sexual coercion occurs when someone uses threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority to force another person into sexual acts. This includes bosses threatening employees’ jobs or using other forms of pressure to obtain sexual compliance.
Internet Sex Crimes
This category includes various online offenses like sending explicit images without consent, online harassment with sexual content, or using the internet to commit other internet sex crimes.
Many internet sex crime cases involve misunderstandings about the other person’s age or consent to receive certain communications.
Failure to Register as a Sex Offender
Anyone required to register as a sex offender who fails to comply with reporting requirements faces new felony charges. This includes not updating your address within the required timeframe or failing to appear for annual verification.
What Penalties Are You Facing Under Texas Law?
Texas sex-offense penalties aren’t one-size-fits-all. They turn on the exact statute and facts of the case.
Prison Terms and Fines
Texas classifies sex crimes as felonies with varying punishment ranges based on the specific offense and circumstances.
| Felony Level | Prison Sentence | Maximum Fine |
| State Jail Felony | 180 days – 2 years | $10,000 |
| Third Degree | 2 – 10 years | $10,000 |
| Second Degree | 2 – 20 years | $10,000 |
| First Degree | 5 – 99 years or life | $10,000 |
Sex Offender Registration and Collateral Consequences
Many Texas sex-offense convictions require registration on the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry. Your public entry typically includes your name, photo, address, and offense. The length of registration depends on the charge—some are 10 years after discharge, many are for life.
Registration brings real limits:
- Housing: Restrictions are set by local ordinances and probation/parole terms, not a one-size-fits-all state rule. It establishes that you cannot live within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, or other child-oriented facilities. We verify what applies in your city and under your supervision.
- Employment: Background checks make hiring difficult, and roles involving children or vulnerable adults are often off-limits.
- Licensing: Some boards mandate revocation or denial; others decide case-by-case.
- Custody/visitation: Courts can restrict possession or even pursue termination in qualifying cases.
Can You Stop Charges Before Indictment?
Often, the best shot is before the grand jury sees the file. Our experienced Sugar Land sex crime defense attorneys assemble a grand-jury packet—timelines, messages, location data, medical/CPS records, and sworn statements—and ask the DA to hold presentment until critical testing (lab and device) is complete.
That can lead to a no-bill, a reduced charge, or a delay/decline, depending on the evidence.
Grand Jury No-Bill Strategy and Pre-Indictment Advocacy
We assemble a defense packet the ADA can present with the case: timelines and message metadata, alibi affidavits, records that show motive to accuse, and a short memo pointing out legal elements the file doesn’t meet.
Our aim is a no-bill—the grand jury refuses to indict. A no-bill halts that indictment and, in many cases, the DA closes the file. (The State can re-present if new evidence appears or the statute of limitations hasn’t run.)
When appropriate, we also ask for lesser-included instructions or a brief hold until key lab/device results return.
What Defenses Work in Texas Sex Crime Cases?
Every case turns on its facts. We test the elements (intent, age, identity, status), the timeline (messages, location data, video), and the process (searches, interviews, hearsay/outcry rules).
Consent, Mistaken Identity, and False Allegations
We investigate beyond statements—into messages, metadata, and timelines.
- Consent evidence (when legally available; not for minors/incapacity or educator cases): Complete chat/email exports with timestamps, witness accounts, and records (rideshare/bank/location) showing a consensual meeting.
- Mistaken identity: alibis backed by video, access logs, and device/location data; challenges to suggestive ID procedures.
- False-accusation motives: custody/divorce filings, breakup context, financial leverage—paired with records that show the story doesn’t fit.
- Inconsistent statements: side-by-side comparisons of outcry, interviews, texts, and reports; use of CPS/SANE/school records to document changes.
Digital Forensics, SANE Exams, and CAC Interview Challenges
We ask for the complete digital data from phones or computers—not just screenshots—and the technical reports that show it’s authentic. Then we check that police stayed within the warrant and that all dates and times make sense.
If the extraction looks incomplete or unreliable, or the warrant was too broad, we ask the judge to exclude that evidence.
For SANE exams, we get the entire medical kit: the forms, diagrams, photos, lab notes, and chain-of-custody. We compare what was reported with what the medical findings actually show, watch for timing or packaging problems, and make sure any testimony stays within medical observations—not opinions about who is telling the truth.
For CAC interviews, we review the full recording and compare it to recognized child-interview guidelines. We flag leading or repeated questions, any signs of coaching or outside influence, and questions that don’t fit the child’s age.
Then we use the evidence rules to keep unreliable parts out of court.
Fourth Amendment and Miranda Violations
Police must follow constitutional rules when they investigate. If a search was unlawful or you were questioned without the required Miranda warnings, we move to suppress any evidence obtained as a result.
When key evidence is thrown out, cases are often dismissed—or the prosecution’s trial position weakens significantly.
How We Build Your Defense From Day One
We don’t wait for the prosecution to build their case—we investigate immediately to gather evidence that supports your innocence.
Independent Experts and Forensic Review
Our award-winning criminal defense attorneys work with trusted specialists who can challenge the state’s proof. Digital forensics experts review computer and phone data. Medical experts re-check SANE exam procedures and results.
Child-psychology experts evaluate interview methods and reliability. DNA analysts look for contamination or procedural errors.
Motions to Suppress and Exclude
We move—before trial—under the Fourth Amendment and Texas Code of Criminal Procedure to keep out evidence taken outside the warrant or through unlawful questioning. That includes attacking the warrant, the way it was executed, and how phones or statements were obtained.
When crucial proof is suppressed, cases often shrink: charges are sometimes dismissed or reduced, or the plea terms improve.
Trial-Ready Preparation and Negotiation Leverage
Every case receives full trial preparation regardless of whether it actually goes to trial. This thorough preparation gives us leverage in negotiations and demonstrates to prosecutors that we’re ready to fight the charges aggressively.
What to Do—and Avoid—Today
Your actions immediately after an accusation directly impact your defense. Making the right choices now can mean the difference between conviction and freedom.
Do Not Delete Messages, Photos, or Data
Destroying potential evidence creates separate obstruction charges and makes you appear guilty to judges and juries. Even if you think certain information looks bad, let your attorney decide what’s helpful or harmful.
Modern forensic techniques can often recover “deleted” data anyway, so destruction attempts frequently backfire.
Limit Social Media and Third-Party Communications
Stay off social media while your case is open. Even harmless posts—photos, check-ins, jokes—can be twisted and shown to a jury.
Don’t talk about the case with friends, family, or coworkers. Those chats aren’t protected by attorney-client privilege, and anyone you talk to could be called as a witness. Talk to us instead.
Follow Bond and Protective Orders Exactly
If you’re out on bond with no-contact rules, GPS, or other conditions, follow them to the letter. Even a “technical” slip can put you back in jail and hurt your standing with the judge.
If a condition is unreasonable, we can ask the court to change it. Until the judge signs a new order, you must obey the one you have.
Fort Bend County Process and Court Settings
Knowing how the local process works lowers stress and helps you make better decisions. Here’s what to expect in Fort Bend County, step by step.
Arrest, Bond, and No-Contact Orders
After an arrest, you’ll go to the Fort Bend County Jail for booking. A magistrate sets bond and may add conditions—no-contact orders, GPS monitoring, travel limits. Sex-offense bonds are often high; if the amount is excessive, we can ask the court to lower it.
Until a judge changes your conditions, follow them exactly.
Indictment, Arraignment, and Pretrial Settings
If a grand jury indicts, the charge becomes formal. At arraignment, you enter a plea and get the next court date. From there, the case moves through pretrial settings: we exchange evidence with the DA, challenge weak or illegally obtained proof, and ask for hearings when needed.
Many cases resolve during this stage, but we prepare as if we’re going to trial so you have leverage—whether the goal is dismissal, a reduction, or setting the case for a jury.
Results in Serious Sex Offense Cases
Our firm has a long history of successfully defending clients against serious sex crime accusations, drawing on decades of experience in this complex area of law. While each case is unique, our track record demonstrates our ability to defend against even the most serious allegations:
- Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Minor—Dismissed
- Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Minor—Not guilty
- Solicitation of Prostitution—Dismissed
- Indecency with a Child—Reduced to misdemeanor, deferred adjudication
Consult With Our Experienced Sex Offense Defense Law Firm in Sugar Land, Texas Today
We understand a sex-crime accusation demands immediate answers. Your consultation is confidential and protected by attorney–client privilege, whether or not you retain our firm.
You can reach out to us by phone at any time, and we have Spanish-speaking staff available to assist clients who prefer to communicate in Spanish. Contact us today.
In addition to Sugar Land, our knowledgeable defense attorneys legal team serve cities including: Houston, League City, Pearland, Katy, The Woodlands, Friendswood, Bellaire, and more.
Sugar Land Sex Crime Defense FAQs
Can You Really Avoid an Indictment in Fort Bend County?
Sometimes. In Texas, the grand jury decides whether to indict. A focused pre-indictment submission can secure a no-bill—stopping the indictment—when the facts support it. Results depend on the evidence.
Should I Ever Give Police a Voluntary Statement or Take a Polygraph?
No, you should never agree to police interviews or polygraph tests without your attorney present, as these are investigative tools designed to build a case against you.
What Exactly Happens During a Child Advocacy Center Interview?
It’s a video-recorded interview between a trained interviewer and a child. Caregivers wait outside; investigators can watch from another room. The interviewer asks open-ended questions and tries not to lead.
Later, we review the full recording to see whether any questions were suggestive or repeated in a way that could affect the child’s memory, and we can challenge those parts in court.
Can Bond Conditions Like GPS Monitoring Be Modified?
Yes. If GPS or no-contact rules keep you from work or home, we can ask the judge to change them by filing a motion and showing proof (job schedules, pay stubs, lease info, compliance to date). Keep following your current conditions until the court signs a new order.
How Quickly Can You Begin Working on My Defense?
We can start working on your defense immediately after you contact us, and your initial consultation is completely confidential under attorney-client privilege.