Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit Austin, Texas, to attend the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals 10 days of discovery and fun. While the SXSW Conference & Festivals offer multiple days of creative, professional fun, large events can quickly take a turn for the worse. Did your time at SXSW end with an arrest? Take the important first step and contact a criminal defense lawyer.

Trust your case to a reliable, experienced criminal lawyer to protect your rights. Jason S. English Law, PLLC, can provide you with a strong defense if your time at SXSW has you facing the Texas legal system. Call our team at 512-454-7548 to learn more about your rights and how we can help you with your case.

Why Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney?

When charged with a misdemeanor or felony, many factors impact how a judge will rule in your case. An experienced criminal defense lawyer can provide you with insight and strategy to help you through the legal process.

Criminal charges carry impacts beyond court dates and fines. A criminal record will follow you for the rest of your life, including when you pursue specific careers, apply for housing, or even fight for custody of your children. Learn more about misdemeanors and felonies to protect your future.

What Is a Misdemeanor?

Less severe than felonies, misdemeanors break down into three categories: Class A, Class B, and Class C. The penalties for each relate to the severity of the crime.

• Class A includes up to a $4,000 fine and one year in county jail.
• Class B includes up to a $2,000 fine and 180 days in jail.
• Class C includes up to a $500 fine and no jail time.

Your criminal background, if any, impacts your charge. Each class covers certain crimes and depends on the circumstances. First, you'll want to understand how Texas classifies different crimes:

• Class A can include a DWI second offense, possession of marijuana, and assault with bodily injury.
• Class B can include a DWI first offense, criminal trespassing, and possession of marijuana.
• Class C can include public intoxication, possession of drug paraphernalia, and assault.

What Is a Felony?

Felonies in Texas face more severe penalties and have a more significant impact on your rights. Here are the different possible felony charges that you can find yourself up against in Texas, as well as the associated penalties.

• A First Degree Felony can include up to a $10,000 fine and five to 99 years in prison.
• A Second Degree Felony can include up to a $10,000 fine and two to 20 years in prison.
• A Third Degree Felony can include up to a $10,000 fine and two to 10 years in prison.
• State Jail Felonies can include up to a $10,000 fine and 180 days to two years in a state jail.
• Capital Felonies can include life imprisonment or death.

Each felony charge depends on the severity of the crime committed as follows:

• First Degree includes aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, and murder.
• Second Degree includes aggravated assault, manslaughter, and intoxication manslaughter.
• Third Degree includes DWI third offense, intoxication assault, and possession of a firearm as a felon.
• State Jail Felonies include DWI with a child passenger and possession of less than one gram of a controlled substance.
• Capital Felonies include murder.

Watch below as Criminal Defense Attorney Jason S. English explains Texas misdemeanors and felonies and what to do if your time at the SXSW ends with an arrest.

Were You Arrested for Aggravated Assault at SXSW?

Among the crimes associated with each misdemeanor and felony, you may notice that different types of assault fall under several of the degrees and classes. Therefore, when you're charged with assault, a criminal lawyer can help protect your rights.

We referenced many types of assault above, but you can break each down into two simple categories: simple and aggravated.

Simple Assault

According to the state of Texas, simple assault means you either intentionally caused bodily injury, threatened someone with bodily injury, or caused physical contact while knowing the recipient would find it offensive.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault adds more conditions to the above situation. In an aggravated assault charge, you also inflict serious bodily injury or use/exhibit a deadly weapon during the assault.

Bail Bonds in Texas

After an arrest at SXSW in Austin, Texas, you may have questions about bail. Your situation varies if you were visiting Austin from out of town or live locally. Bail releases you from jail after an arrest. However, you may need a bondsman to post your bail if you face severe charges or if you are a non-local. For more information on bail bonds, visit our website.

Jason S. English: Your Austin, Texas Criminal Defense Attorney

If your SXSW fun turned into a nightmare due to an arrest in Austin and you ended up in jail, you need a criminal defense attorney you can trust. In a complicated legal situation that may influence your entire future, you need representation by an experienced, competent, and dedicated criminal defense lawyer. As a former prosecutor with over 15 years of experience prosecuting criminal cases, attorney Jason S. English knows how the other side operates and how to craft effective defenses for criminal defendants. Mr. English uses his courtroom experience and intimate knowledge of state and federal laws to choose the right legal strategy for each client.

Contact our team at 512-454-7548 in Austin, Texas, or complete our online form to schedule your consultation today.

Copyright© 2022. Jason S. English Law, PLLC. All rights reserved.

The information in this blog post (post) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient's state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.

Jason S. English Law, PLLC
505 West 12th Street, Suite 201
Austin, TX 78701
512-454-7548
https://gotbustedinaustin.com/