Are You Facing Kidnapping Charges?
If you have been charged with kidnapping in Texas, it is imperative to mount a strong defense. The consequences of a conviction could include years in prison, a permanent mark on your criminal record and estrangement from your loved ones. Kidnapping charges bring out strong emotions in prosecutors, judges, and juries alike. They must be handled appropriately by a competent and experienced criminal defense lawyer because the rest of the citizen's accused's life essentially depends upon their attorney and the success of the defense.
At Pelley Law Office, L.L.P. our attorneys have significant experience handling sensitive criminal defense cases for clients throughout North Texas. If you are facing kidnapping charges, we are here to protect your rights. Please contact us today to speak with an experienced Plano kidnapping lawyer.
McKinney Child Abduction Lawyers
Kidnapping crimes can be broken down into two categories:
- Kidnapping: Kidnapping is the abduction of another person. Kidnapping can be charged as a first-degree felony. A first-degree felony typically has a range of punishment of 5-99 years confinement in the Texas Department of Correctional Facilities; up to a $10,000 fine; or both such fine and confinement.
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Aggravated kidnapping: This is the highest kidnapping charge. It involves kidnapping with the intent to cause harm to the kidnapee, hold him or her for ransom, use him or her as a shield, commit a crime or otherwise cause harm.
Enhancements
Please be advised that if the State is able to prove specific findings at trial then the periods stated above can be further enhanced. Reasons for enhancements include, but are not limited to: bias, prejudice, prior convictions, prior juvenile commitment to Texas Youth Commission, offenses in a "drug-free" or a "gun-free" zone.
Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 42.12 Sec. 3G(a)(2):
Offenses where the state alleges the use or exhibition of a Deadly Weapon are extremely dangerous charges because they are known as a "3G" offense. That means it is one of the few offenses that the Code statutorily prohibits the judge from sentencing you to probation.
Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 42.12 Sec. 3G(b)-Firearm Provision:
TEX. CODE CRIM. P. §3G states that if there is an affirmative finding under Subsection (a)(2) in the trial of a felony of the second degree or higher that the deadly weapon used or exhibited was a firearm and the defendant is granted community supervision, the court may order the defendant confined in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for not less than 60 and not more than 120 days. At any time after the defendant has served 60 days in the custody of the institutional division, the sentencing judge, on his own motion or on motion of the defendant, may order the defendant released to community supervision. The institution division shall release the defendant to community supervision after has served 120 days.
As experienced defense lawyers, we are knowledgeable in the strategies prosecutors use to obtain convictions in kidnapping cases, and we know how to counter them. We will mount an intelligent, aggressive defense to spare you from the consequences of a kidnapping conviction.
Contact Us
Have you been charged with or accused of a crime? Contact our criminal defense firm at 972-608-0335 or 903-813-4778. We offer a free initial consultation.
