Are You Facing A Probation Revocation Hearing in Tarrant County?

Violating your probation grant is a serious matter, but a Tarrant County community supervision attorney may be able to help. Your freedom is on the line, so call us today.

Being on probation isn’t an experience anyone wants to endure. Your every move is scrutinized, you must report to your probation officer, all your probation obligations must be met, and you need to hold down a job. It can get overwhelming, and you may slip up.

If you’ve violated your probation, a Tarrant County probation lawyer can help. When you don’t follow all your probation requirements, your probation officer can file a petition to revoke your probation.

If you obtain new charges while on community supervision, the court will be even stricter on you than it would be with someone who’s not on probation. You may need an attorney beside you to tell your side of the story.

Probation Violations That Can Cause a Probation Revocation

Probation Revocation is a serious matter. If you were placed on deferred adjudication probation, a probation revocation could result in a conviction on your criminal record or possibly a jail or prison sentence. When you are placed on deferred adjudication or probation, you are being given a chance to prove yourself to the court before going to prison.

If you do well, you can avoid prison entirely. If you fail to complete your probation grant successfully, you can still be sent to prison on the original charge that got you placed on probation in the first place. Any of the violations below can revoke your probation in Texas:

• Committing a new criminal offense
• Failing to report to your probation officer
• Failing to pay required fines, court costs or probation fees
• Missed or Positive result on a urinalysis test
• Failing to complete community service hours
• Failing to attend or complete required counseling or treatment programs
• Associating with criminals or those engaged in criminal activity

Keep in mind that anything and everything that you say to your probation officer could be used against you. An incriminating admission to your probation officer could very well be the basis for filing a Motion to Revoke or Motion for Adjudication of your probation. If you believe you have violated a term or condition of your probation, you should first seek advice from an experienced Fort Worth probation lawyer.

Probation Revocation Attorney Jeff C. Kennedy has over 18 years of experience defending clients facing a probation revocation and can aggressively defend you if a motion to revoke your probation has been filed. Or he can advise and assist you in preparing the best possible defense to avoid the filing of a probation revocation.

What Happens If I Get a New Charge While on Probation?

Many people who are on probation (community supervision) are haunted by this fear: What happens if I get a new charge while on probation?

You’re right to be concerned. One of the worst things you can do on probation is commit a new crime. Yes, it can be a violation of your probation to be charged with a new crime. Your probation grant can be revoked. And you can be sentenced to jail or prison—not only on the probation charge, but on the new charge, too.

Your Probation Officer Will Petition To Revoke Your Probation

In most cases, your probation officer won’t even have a choice. If you are charged with a new crime, a petition to revoke your probation will likely need to be filed. If it’s a felony charge, you will need to fight the new charge. If you’re convicted of the new crime, that’s an automatic probation violation.

What Should I Do If a Motion to Revoke Probation Has Been Filed?

If you believe that a Motion to Revoke or Motion for Adjudication will be filed or has already been filed, you need to hire an attorney immediately! It is possible to defend a probation revocation and an attorney experienced with these violations can often avoid a revocation of your probation. You need a criminal defense lawyer who has the experience necessary to make the court, probation officer, and the District Attorney’s Office aware of all circumstances regarding your case and to explore all defenses and possible alternatives to avoid revocation of your probation.

Will a Warrant for My Arrest Be Issued If My Probation is Revoked in Fort Worth?

When a Motion to Revoke or Motion for Adjudication of Probation is filed, a warrant for your arrest will be issued. Generally, the warrant is issued and a “hold no bond” is placed on the warrant. This means that there is not a bond amount set for the warrant and you will not be able to post a bond or be released from jail if you have been arrested. If a “hold no bond” is placed on the probation revocation warrant, it will be necessary to hire an attorney in order to ask the judge of the court that issued the warrant to set a bond amount. If you still owe fines, court costs or are behind on probation reporting fees, most Fort Worth Judges will not set a bond on a probation revocation warrant until these fees are current or paid in full.

Jeff C. Kennedy is very familiar with the policies and procedures of the Fort Worth Probation Department and the Fort Worth Criminal Courts in regard to probation violations. If a probation revocation warrant has been issued, we can generally arrange for a bond amount to be set and can assist you with the process of posting a bond to secure your release from jail. In most circumstances, we can arrange for a “walk thru” in order to post a probation revocation bond at the Fort Worth Jail Bond Desk and avoid the process of physically being placed in a jail cell for hours or days.

How Can Jeff C. Kennedy Help You With A Probation Revocation?

Violating your community supervision is bad, but it’s not the end of the line yet. The court can decide whether to give you another chance (reinstate your probation), or it can decide to revoke your probation and send you to jail or prison.

What your probation attorney in Tarrant County can do is demonstrate to the court that you should get another chance to complete your probation grant. To do that, you and your attorney will work together to show that any probation violations you had were minor and that it’s in the best interest of the community to keep you out of jail.

The following are some of the ways your lawyer can help you avoid probation revocation:

• Get you released from jail before your revocation hearing
• Get your hearing pushed back to give you time to prove to the judge that you can be successful on probation.
• Document and highlight all your successes on probation
• Mitigate your probation violations
• If you’re charged with a new crime, defend you against conviction for that offense
• Persuade the court to give you another chance at probation

Get in Touch with an Attorney who Understands Probation Violations and How to Avoid Revocation.

Failure to complete probation successfully could result in prison time. If you’re facing a probation revocation hearing, call an experienced lawyer to assist you. Even if you have violated one of your conditions of probation, your attorney can demonstrate to the court that you were doing well in other areas.

Speak with a Fort Worth probation lawyer in a free initial consultation, call 817-605-1010 or fill out the contact form below.