fffffffffffffffffffffffThe criminal justice system is scary and intimidating for most people. You shouldn’t try to handle your case alone. In Texas, you have the right to rigorous, competent legal defense. At Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter, we’re prepared to provide it.

Protect your rights by remaining silent until you contact a lawyer. The experienced Collin County criminal defense attorney from Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter has the knowledge and resources to defend you effectively against the charges you face. We’ll fight for your rights and protect your freedom.

We know how overwhelming this experience is for you. A criminal conviction will affect you, your family, and your reputation. You need someone with practical know-how to help.

We’ll build a defense that invalidates the prosecution’s theories and creates doubt for each jury member. We have a strong commitment to our clients and will treat you like a priority. You can depend on us to be there for you throughout your entire case.

Schedule a free consultation with a dedicated Collin County criminal defense attorney from Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter today. Call (214) 845-7007.

Table Of Contents

Our Practice Areas

We defend Collin Count residents from all kinds of criminal charges, including:

Assault & Battery
Drug Crimes
DUI/Alcohol Offenses
Drug Offenses
Expunction/Record Clearing
Juvenile Crimes
Sex Crimes
Theft and Robbery
Weapons Offenses

Criminal Process in Texas

After you’re arrested for a crime in Texas, you’ll have to go through an established legal process. Your Collin County criminal defense attorney from Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter can walk you through it.

Arrest or Notice to Appear

Typically, criminal charges start with an arrest. You’ll stay in jail until your first scheduled appearance in front of a judge. That usually occurs within 24 to 48 hours of the arrest.

Upon your first appearance, the judge will set your bond amount. If you can post it, you’ll be released from jail. You can then leave with a date and time to return to court and plead to the charges against you.

A Notice to Appear is a document that indicates the date, time, and location of an appearance in front of a judge. Instead of being arrested, some people receive this notice. If you fail to show up, the judge will issue a warrant for your arrest. Typically, notices are for class C misdemeanor offenses.

First Court Appearance

When you stand before a judge, they describe the charges you face and advise you of your rights. They will then decide whether or not to grant bail. If they choose to grant bail, you’ll have the option to pay and be released until your trial concludes. If they deny bail, you’ll have to remain in jail until the end of your case.

Preliminary Hearing

During a preliminary hearing, the prosecutor must present sufficient evidence to prove a crime occurred and that you committed it. It will be the defense’s job to argue that the evidence against you isn’t sufficient to prove your guilt. If your Collin County criminal defense attorney can disprove the prosecution’s theories, the judge may dismiss the case.

Pretrial Negotiations and Plea Agreement

If we discover at the preliminary hearing that the prosecutor has enough evidence to prove you committed the crime, we may advise you to enter pretrial negotiations.

During this step of the criminal process, both sides meet to determine the penalties for a guilty plea and the outcome of the case. If we can agree to a positive outcome for you with the prosecution, you might not have to appear in court.

In most situations, your defense attorney may advise you to agree to plead guilty in exchange for a penalty that doesn’t involve time in jail. The alternative penalty could include community service, probation, counseling, restitution, or house arrest.

You don’t necessarily have to accept the plea agreement. It’s our job to come up with the best deal possible. It’s your job to decide if you want to take it.

Pretrial Motions and Hearings

If we can’t reach an agreement with the prosecutor, we’ll move forward in the process, and the judge will set a date to hear pretrial motions.

We may present various motions to try to get the case dismissed or ensure specific evidence isn’t allowed during your trial. They include:

Motion to Dismiss Charges
Motion to Suppress Evidence
Motion to Compel Discovery
Motion to Exclude Witness Testimony

If we file a pretrial motion that the judge grants, such as suppressing a key piece of the opposing side’s evidence, the prosecutor might bring up a prior plea negotiation. Losing a substantial part of their argument could result in them dropping their case against you.

Trial

Once there’s a scheduled date for trial, you may be able to decide if you want to have a bench trial or jury trial. During a bench trial, both sides present their arguments to a judge. There won’t be a jury present, so the judge will have complete control over deciding whether you’re guilty or innocent and what the penalty should be if you’re found guilty.

If you choose a trial by jury, both sides will have the opportunity to argue their cases in front of a jury. We’ll present our evidence and question witnesses. The burden of proof will fall on the prosecution. They will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you’re guilty of the charges against you.

In Texas, members of the jury must reach a unanimous decision. If they find you guilty, you’ll have to appear for a sentencing hearing where the judge or jury will decide the penalty you deserve based on the Texas Penal Code and factors of the crime.

Penalties for Misdemeanors and Felonies

Criminal offenses fall under two main categories: misdemeanors and felonies. Each gets split into classes or degrees, which signify the type of crime committed and its severity.

Misdemeanors

Class C misdemeanor: The penalty is a maximum fine of $500 and no jail time. Examples of Class C misdemeanors include:

Petty theft or shoplifting
DUI as a minor
Minor drug possession
Simple assault

Class B misdemeanor: The penalty includes up to 180 days in county jail and a maximum of $2,000 in fines. Examples of Class B misdemeanors include:

Prostitution
Harassment
DWI (first offense)
Marijuana possession (2 ounces or less)

Class A misdemeanor: The penalty includes a maximum of one year in county jail and up to a $4,000 fine. Examples of Class A misdemeanors include:

DWI (second offense)
Burglarizing a motor vehicle
Assault with bodily injury
Public lewdness

Felonies

Third-degree felony: The penalties include between two and ten years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Examples of third-degree felonies include:

Stalking
Indecent exposure to a minor
DWI (third offense)
Assault while intoxicated

Second-degree felony: The penalties include a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Examples of second-degree felonies include:

Human trafficking
Aggravated assault
Manslaughter
Online solicitation of a minor

First-degree felony: The penalties include five to 99 years or life in prison and a maximum of $10,000 in fines. Examples of first-degree felonies include:

Aggravated robbery
Aggravated sexual assault of a child
Solicitation of murder
Trafficking persons under 14 years of age

Contact a Collin County Criminal Defense Attorney

When you contact Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter, we take the time to get to know our clients and the details of the charges against them. We never assume the facts of your case. Instead, we come up with a personalized plan to meet our client’s goals.

When you hire us, we’ll use our experience within the Texas criminal justice system to fight for your rights and freedom. We’ll help you put this terrible time behind you and get back on your feet.

If you face a criminal charge and don’t know what to do next, call (214) 845-7007 to speak with our Collin County criminal defense attorney.

TESTIMONIALS

Recommendation for Mark LassiterI am pleased to write a letter of recommendation. I highly recommend Mark Lassiter to others who are seeking such assistance. His representation allowed me to do very little in my case. It was Mark’s proven expertise and his legal knowledge that was valuable in getting my case dismissed. In short, I recommend Mark enthusiastically without reservation and I do believe he would be a valuable asset to you.

- Name Redacted

dear Markplease accept this letter on my and Susan’s behalf. there is a powerful message and testimony we would like to share with you for the first time.for over a year the weight of what happened to Reid was heavy on our souls. at first we held great anger, resentment and disgust toward Angel (the passenger). it became evident after turning 21 the Angel has a severe alcohol problem which my son nor us fully understood. The arrest also brought us great disappointment, frustration and disheartenment toward Reid.We have found that God often surprises us with his answers to our prayers. Prior to the arrest was had been in prayer that God help turn Reid away from selfishness, childishness and destructive ways. We prayed that God move to change him toward everlasting values and better choices in his life. We believe that God answered that prayer with the arrest. We blamed ourselves for bringing this calamity but understood it would take something this powerful to reach him. There is no doubt in our minds this ordeal has placed a permanent imprint on his soul.during the many delays associated with this case we were able to put forgiveness in our hearts toward Angel. Also during the many delays the full weight of the case in our and Reid’s mind triggered conversations pertaining to life decisions and direction. Time allowed us the opportunity to be rid of the noise and cloudiness of our emotions. We believe this to be a part of the master plan that God was overseeing.Only today did the full story become revealed. During this case with all the odds against us can we say without question that God was in it. How else could the series of events occurred within the judicial process that could put the opportunity in to your mind that there was a way to victory. The entire morning Susan and i were in fervent prayer even after your told us we had only a 25% chance of winning.Grace is the receipt of a blessing that is undeserved. Reid did not deserve to win today. We all are eternally marked by the message of grace given to us and you were the instrument that brought the gift to our house. Thank you from bottom of our souls and may God bless and keep you all of your days.

- Name Redacted

Dear Mr. Lassiter,Today you saved my son’s life. When he received a DWI, it broke my heart because I knew it would be on his record forever. It would limit his options in life. He would be paying for his stupid mistake for the rest of his life. At 21 years of age he was overwhelmed with the depth of the problem he created for himself.I decided to find him the best lawyer in Dallas, and I did. I researched lawyers for two days, and then I found you. I knew from the moment I read about you that you were the one we needed. When I met you, I knew instantly that I had complete confidence in you. Even if the result had ended with my son being guilty, I would have had peace knowing that he had had THE BEST lawyer.Listening to you “own” the courtroom today was amazing. You told us in the morning that we only had about 25% chance to win; however, by the middle of the afternoon the case was over before the prosecutors even finished, and we won! What an incredible lawyer you are!I will be grateful forever to you. Your work has given my son a second chance. He left the courtroom today with a whole new perspective on life…thanks to you!Very sincerely,

- Susan Ellis

unless you are already a petty criminal with countless B and C misdemeanors and a misdemeanor A pending, a DWI charge might not really matter much – for all the others counts: Fight it with all you got – get the best professional to your side you can find!Why should you? A simple google search “Texas DWI penalties” will give you an idea what you are looking at: prison, probation, fines, classes, ignition interlock, insurance rate skyrockets and a criminal record for life (yes – this can happen even for a first time DWI in Texas) Now if you read until this point you probably are charged with a DWI (or simply board) and you are shopping for a lawyer – so some basic guidance:a) Same as in real life: You want to be surrounded by people who know what they are talking about. Nobody likes people who constantly brag around, through around the usual business buzz words which doesn’t mean anything. So: Get somebody who is specialized in this field, means if 50% or more of his work is in the field of defending DWI’s that’s probably a good indicator– Mark is one of them – talk to him you will see!b) Educate yourself – thanks to a wonderful innovation by DARPA (which you are using in this moment) you can read all about it: What happened the night before, what’s a SFT, what is a legal stop, how does an Intoxilyzer 5000 work and what flaws does it have, possible plea bargain options (not so tempting ones in TX anyway) – read the stuff, it’s out there and discuss it with your attorney – if he doesn’t want or can’t answer your questions, that’s a pretty good indicator that your sitting in the wrong office, run!– Mark WILL answer your questions – and I’m convinced you cannot surprise him with a question in your case that he can’t answer or will find an answer for you!c) Your lawyer should – more or less – from the beginning be willing to take your case to Trial, all the way. What do you have to lose? If you are a BAC 0.28 candidate and you plea it down to a misdemeanor B it technically looks better on paper – but it will still follow you for life (most employers wouldn’t even consider the difference or know it – a DWI is a DWI…) If you are a BAC 0.09 candidate your chances are even better – (did you know the Intoxilyzer 5000 gives himself a +-0.02 calibration margin? What now, is a BAC 0.09 and hour after driving now under the legal limit? Guess what, the state will state “off course NOT! The magic machine proved he’s Intoxicated and guilty!” That’s why you need a lawyer on your side who is willing to take it to trial!– Mark is a trial lawyer – those people don’t want to plea out, they need the courtroom as their stage, that’s what they love to do, that’s what they are good at – so let him do it for you!d) Money / Costs – completely neglect. This is not the time for price comparison. You are not out there to shop for new hardwood floor for your living room – you are out there to get the best possible outcome in a situation which initial will hurt you if convicted pretty bad (financially), possible cost you your job, destroy your reputation and will follow you around for the rest of your natural life.– Mark will not overcharge you for his service, in my opinion you are getting a great deal. If you have the feeling you cannot afford a lawyer like Mark put it into perspective: if you hire a $500 lawyer and plead guilty maybe to a DWI misdemeanor B, you will pay much more over the years in court costs, classes, probation fees, DPS surcharges, insurance and and and… But if you hire Mark, you have one of the best at your side, you have a real chance – off course Mark isn’t a magic wizard who can make everything go away in a moment’s notice, but 5,10,20 years down the road you don’t want to think “oh boy, I wish I would have fought this thing more aggressively back then…” I was already a bit into my case when I met Mark. Mark has a can do attitude, does not try to beat around the bush and most importantly: He looks at things, tries different avenues, seeks out weaknesses in the case base on the evidence presented – if you meet him, you will have the same experience. During our meetings we discussed alternatives and other options e.g. expert witnesses, jury trial, bench trial, plea agreement (even if he didn’t like that – Mark doesn’t want to plea, he wants to win for his clients)And here is the outcome:A clear acquittal – NOT GUILTY(even better than a dismissal which technically can be reopened by the DA within the statute of limitations – if I understood that right – Not guilty means you are not guilty, case expunged – that’s the end of it!)Mark’s services helped me to get the best possible outcome you can expect when you are charged with a (DWI / DUI) crime and I hope I will never see him again….. (under such circumstances J ) –

- Daniel

I would never use or recommend anyone else for anybody else for a criminal manner.

- Cory M.

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Criminal Defense Lawyer Serving Collin County