Category Archives: Criminal Attorney

Wildlife Violations: Texas Teens Cited for Taking Alligator Out of Season

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Recently, three Texas teenagers were given a citation by a game warden for “taking” a 7-foot alligator in closed season. They caught the wild alligator at a popular fishing spot in Orange County and, according to news reports, after catching the animal they tried to enlist the help of another person to kill it.

The animal wasn’t killed. Instead, it was taken into custody by a nuisance control hunter. 

It was probably the thrill of a lifetime for these youngsters to capture such a dangerous wild animal. While not an endangered species in Texas, an alligator isn’t the kind of critter you come across every day so it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that they didn’t know the regulations for hunting alligator in TX.  

They probably didn’t even think they were hunting an alligator – until they were cited for a Texas hunting violation. After all, the alligator was just there in the fishing spot being a nuisance. 

TX Hunting Violations for Alligators

Some people are specifically tasked with handled “nuisance” alligators. They have a nuisance alligator control permit issued by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. And alligator hunting regulations say that if a person doesn’t have such a permit they may not “take, kill, transport, sell, or release a nuisance alligator, or offer to take, kill, transport, sell, or release a nuisance alligator.”  

State regulations say no one can hunt an alligator in the State of Texas unless they have a valid hunting license and a valid, unused alligator hide tag in their possession. A lot of private homeowners may not know these alligator hunting regulations and could run into trouble if they believe they can take immediate action against alligators on their private property. 

There are a number of other ways one can run afoul of alligator hunting regulations, such as: 

  • “Taking” more alligators than are allowed,
  • “Hunting” alligators out of season (some counties allow hunting in spring, some in fall), or at the wrong time of day,
  • Using the wrong kind of snare or weapon, and 
  • Failing to file a report.

If you or your son or daughter has received a wildlife citation for intentionally or unintentionally killing or ensnaring an alligator, call the criminal defense attorneys at LEE AND WOOD, GP: 817-678-6771 or contact us online. We handle all types of hunting and fishing violations in communities all across the state of Texas.

Unlawful Possession of a Handgun on School Property

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A 16-year-old boy was recently arrested at his school after a handgun was found in his backpack. The student, along with a group of boys, had left a school bathroom and a teacher smelled marijuana. All of the students were taken to the principal’s office where a search uncovered the handgun. The student is now being held in juvenile detention awaiting a hearing.

This incident raises several important issues that would be helpful for parents to understand about the unlawful possession of a handgun on school property. 

Student Privacy Rights

The Texas Constitution says that students have a right to be free from “unreasonable” searches while on school property or while attending school activities. There needs to be a justifiable reason to search a student’s person or property before the search begins. And the scope of the search (their person, their locker, their car) needs to be reasonable as well. 

Learn more about student’s rights in searches from the Texas Association of School Boards.

Guns on School Grounds

Two federal laws regulate the possession of firearms in or within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school. And Texas state law prohibits people (with some exceptions) from taking an open or concealed firearm into a school building or any building or grounds where a school-sponsored activity is being conducted, or on a passenger vehicle operated by a school. 

Texas does not allow the keeping of a firearm, unloaded and locked, in or on a vehicle in a K-12 parking lot. Texas also allows guns to be carried on campus by law enforcement, school marshals, volunteer emergency services staff, and school resource officers, or those with special authorization.

It is a 3rd degree felony to carry a firearm on school property if a person is not lawfully allowed to do so.

Age and Guns

Although Texas gun laws have recently change, but age is still a relevant factor. The new law allows anyone aged 21 and older to carry a handgun as long as they don’t have a prior violent crime conviction or some other prohibition on their record.  

Know Your Rights

Hearing from a police officer that your child has been arrested is every parent’s worst nightmare. What is going to happen next? What rights does your child have? What can you do to protect his future?

One of the most important things a Ft. Worth juvenile defense attorney will do for a young person and his/her family is educate them. Having the facts, understanding the juvenile system and the process, and developing a plan to move forward can help with the anxiety everyone is feeling in this situation.

If your son or daughter has been arrested for unlawful possession of a handgun in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, call the juvenile defense attorneys at LEE AND WOOD, GP: 817-678-6771 or contact us online. We will explain everything you need to know.

Teen Drug Crimes: Fentanyl-Laced Drugs Increasing Concern in Tarrant County

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The Fort Worth Weekly reported in May that ambulance services have seen an increase in drug overdoses and emergency calls from teens who have taken pills containing fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin.

Where MedStar used to get 8-10 calls a month for drug overdoses, they have been fielding as many as 26 calls a month since January. Emergency responders say that young people think they are buying Xanax or Percocet or Oxycodone, but instead they are getting a pill with caffeine and fentanyl, which is cheaper for drug manufacturers to produce and sell. 

That’s what happened with two 16-year-old boys in Venus, Texas, who died of overdoses in April. They thought they were taking Oxycodone. Two other teens now face drug crimes charges for providing the pills. 

It’s easy for teens to get their hands on – and to share – these counterfeit drugs containing fentanyl. Drug dealers are selling them for as little as $5 a pill, according to the paper. 

A teen who has experience using Xanax or Oxycodone legally for anxiety or pain could easily find themselves in deep trouble buying a few pills from “a friend” or through a social media contact. 

A Fort Worth police officer who works in the schools said it’s not unusual for students to be offered the drug as a “sample” at teen parties. Some teen drug dealers who usually sell marijuana have added pills to their inventory.   

Young people selling fentanyl in Tarrant County are the “little guys” taking the fall for drug manufacturers and drug trafficking rings in Mexico and China. These Texas teens face the consequences while drug cartels make millions of dollars trafficking in deadly pills. 

Everyone accused of a crime deserves a strong defense. If your teen has been arrested for selling drugs, possession of fentanyl, or giving fentanyl to a friend (drug distribution), talk with a Fort Worth juvenile defense lawyer at LEE AND WOOD, GP. Call 817-678-6771 or contact us online.