Sex Crimes Against Children

Houston Sex Crimes Defense Lawyers

Standing as the Voice of Reason to Protect and Defend the Accused

If you've been accused of a sex crime involving a child — whether child says they were molested, or you're charged with possession of Internet child pornography — you've entered the realm of nightmares. Even if you are completely innocent, you are facing an uphill battle against state police and Child Protective Services, and possibly federal child sex crimes authorities.

When you are in a fight for your reputation and your freedom, you want heavy hitters on your side. Contact the Houston sex crimes defense attorneys at the Harris County law office of Stradley, Chernoff & Alford, L.L.P. Call 713-222-9141 for a thoughtful, realistic free consultation.

Defense for Felony or Misdemeanor Sex Charges

At Stradley, Chernoff & Alford, we defend people facing any child sex crime charge, including:

• predatory sexual assault
• child solicitation
• possession of child pornography
• sexual abuse of children or child molestation
• statutory rape
• indecent exposure or lewd conduct
• fondling or sexual battery
• sexual assault
• indecency with a child
• aggravated sexual assault of a child

Former Prosecutors Fighting for Your Defense

When you work with the defense lawyers at Stradley, Chernoff & Alford, L.L.P., you are no longer alone with the emotional burden of a sex crime charge. Our team of former prosecutors and former DA's are all board-certified specialists in criminal law, certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. We fight to protect our clients at every stage of their criminal case.

Police Investigations and Polygraph Tests

The inclination of a person falsely accused of this crime is to cooperate unconditionally with the accusing government. The impulse is to shout his innocence from the rooftops and rationalize with the investigating officials with the hope of stopping the insanity. Unfortunately, innocence alone will not stop this train.

Children tend to be believed when sexual accusations are made. Well meaning adults, especially those with care taking responsibilities, have an overriding interest in protecting the child at all costs. This bias drives the sex crime investigation and it will likely persist throughout, despite the many protestations of innocence from the accused.

The good news is, the madness can be stopped, and if you are reading this before you have been formally charged with a crime, you have a much better chance than most of avoiding prosecution. Information can be provided to the police that will enable them to close their investigation without recommending charges. Each case varies, but a lawyer who has superior experience in handling Sexual Assault of a Child cases will know how to get this case specific information to the officer in the right way

Not all police officers are reasonable, however our experience has been that most officers are willing to work with us when they are made to understand that we are not interested in impeding their investigation. In fact, we are trying to help them make the right charging determination. No officer is interested in being grilled on the stand for arresting an innocent man.

If you are already charged with this horrendous crime, don’t lose hope. All the way down the prosecutorial time-line, there are ways to get your case dismissed. On many occasions we have convinced the Grand Jury that there was insufficient evidence to indict. Even after indictment, months of court appearances, discovery and trial settings, we have had many cases dismissed. If the case makes it to trial, a conviction is not a foregone conclusion. If you are well represented by a lawyer who is supremely experienced in these types of cases, you can be acquitted. In fact, the majority of sex crime cases we have tried have resulted in acquittals

In some child sex crime cases it can be effective to talk to the police early in the process. But you should never talk to the police without your lawyer present. They are not on your side — we are.

Child accusers and witnesses can be easily misled or confused, and legal intervention early on can sometimes lead to charges being dropped or reduced. Defense lawyers with years of years of experience in Texas criminal courts, we know when to step forward to help a police investigation.

Did the police suggest a polygraph test to prove your innocence? People facing serious criminal charges — especially innocent people — are often quick to take a lie detector test to "prove" their innocence. Unfortunately, polygraph tests are unreliable. That's why the results aren't allowed in court.

Worse yet, a false positive on a lie detector test can give the impression that you are guilty. So before you take that test, cooperate with the police, or talk to Child Protective Services, talk with a lawyer.

As soon as you suspect you will be, or have been, accused of a child sex crime, contact the Houston law office of Stradley, Chernoff & Alford. When the stakes are high, put our experienced criminal defense team on your side.

For more information visit our sex offenses web site.

You can talk to one of our lawyers for free: Call 713-222-9141
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