Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC | Fort Worth Sex Crime Lawyer | Sexual Assaults | Indecency with a Child | Online Solicitation of a Minor | Possession of Child Pornography

If you’ve been accused of a serious sex crime, you need an experienced Fort Worth sex crime lawyer that understands your situation, can devise the proper strategy, and can help you fight the charge and get the best result possible.  Our goal on sex crimes is always a dismissal, no bill, not guilty, or a reduction in the charges.  Our team has secured two Not Guilty verdicts on serious felony jury trials already this past year, along with a mid-trial dismissal. 

At Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC, we’ve handled thousands of criminal cases throughout the Tarrant County area. Our entire legal team is former prosecutors at the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. Partners Colin McLaughlin and Hilary Wright are both Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  Hilary is a former Court Chief prosecutor in Tarrant County and Colin McLaughlin is a former sex crimes prosecutor in Tarrant County.  We work hard to protect your rights and fight to get you the best possible outcome in your case. If you have been arrested or charged with a sex crime, call a Fort Worth sex crime lawyer today so we can start working on your defense immediately.

Fort Worth sex crime lawyer

What we Offer in your Tarrant County Criminal Defense:

1. EXTENSIVE TRIAL EXPERIENCE

Our firm has extensive trial experience in criminal and DWI defense. Our criminal defense attorneys and DWI lawyers have tried over 350 combined criminal trials, including assault and aggravated offenses, sex crime offenses, drug-related offenses, and over a hundred specifically involving DWI and DWI related charges.

In addition, we have reviewed and successfully negotiated thousands of criminal and DWI charges in Tarrant County, Texas. This experience gives us the knowledge to advise our clients if they are getting the best outcome possible on their charge.

2. FORMER PROSECUTORS IN TARRANT, DALLAS, AND HARRIS COUNTY

Our team at Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC are all former Tarrant County prosecutors.  Being trained as a prosecutor gives us invaluable experience because we know exactly how the State of Texas will attempt to prosecute you on your criminal charges. This knowledge will allow our firm to build the best defense in fighting your criminal or DWI charge. Partner Hilary Wright is a former Chief Prosecutor in Tarrant County, Texas.

3. SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE IN CRIMINAL LAW | BOARD CERTIFIED CRIMINAL LAWYERS

In addition to be trained as former prosecutors, our criminal defense attorneys know the inside and out of each and every aspect of a police investigation and State prosecution, including criminal laws, proper police procedures, DNA and blood forensic evidence, and knowing exactly how the State plans to introduce evidence into trial.

Partners Colin McLaughlin and Hilary Wright are both Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and all of our attorneys continuously attend criminal and DWI CLE seminars to make sure we are up to date on any change in the law.

For more serious aggravated cases, Partners Colin McLaughlin, Dustin Trammel, Hilary Wright, and Bryan Hoeller are also certified by the Courts to try cases up to capital murder charges, which requires a higher level of skills, courtroom experience, and CLE (continuing learning education).

4. HIGHLY RATED & AWARD WINNING FORT WORTH CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

Our team has received over 300 5 star reviews on Google from our former clients.  In addition, our team has been recognized for their outstanding performance in criminal law.  Managing Partner Bryan Hoeller has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.  Lindsay Truly and Dustin Trammel were also both named Super Lawyers Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.  In addition to being Board Certified, Partner Colin McLaughlin was named a Top Criminal Lawyer in Fort Worth by Fort Worth Magazine for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Partner Hilary Wright is the President for the Texas Association of Specialty Courts.

What’s Next After Being Accused of a Sex Crime?

Being accused and arrested of a sex crime can be terrifying and frustrating. Your life may have been turned upside down by this accusation. Even just being arrested allows Courts to put restrictive bond conditions on you.  You may not know what to do or where to turn.

Sex crimes are serious charges that can result in:

  • Restrictive Bond or Probation Conditions (School Zones, No Access to Child and Child Safety Zones, GPS Monitoring, Sexual Offender Caseload and Counseling),
  • Sex offender registration under Chapter 62 (plus 10 years or lifetime registration, depending on the charge),
  • Imprisonment or Lengthy Probation,
  • High fines, and/or
  • Collateral Consequences, including losing your job, your family, and damage to your reputation (Even if the case is dropped)

Being accused of having committed any kind of sexual assault or sex crime can cause serious collateral consequences, impacting your personal life, your employment, your family, where you can live, to name a few.

Getting the right criminal defense lawyer can help fight the charge to minimize those consequences.

Types of Sex Crimes

Here are some of the primary sex crimes and related offenses we fight and defendant at Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC:

In addition to these offenses, often times, law enforcement will charge individuals with additional charges that relate to a sex crimes, including unlawful carrying of a weapon (UCW), unlawful possession of a firearm (UPF), possession of a controlled substance, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, injury to a child, and indecent assault.

A common misconception about sex crimes is that they only apply if there has been physical contact between two people. That is certainly the case for some criminal charges, however, many of these violations don’t require any physical contact at all.  Mere communication (text messages or messaging on an App) or exposure can subject people to having to register for a minimum of ten years post disposition of their case.

Building a Strong Case | Fort Worth Sex Crime Lawyer | Our Strategy in Fighting Your Charge

Our strategy at Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC is simple: Be 100% committed to holding the State of Texas to the highest burden of proof – Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. That includes:

  1. Case Review & Investigation: The first part of the our defense starts with a thorough evaluation and investigation into the criminal allegation, including investigating the background of any potential witness to the case (criminal history or any past history that would help in your defense), reviewing for possible defenses (i.e. self-defense), and determining if the State can even prove their charge.
  2. Expert Analysis: If necessary, our strategy also involves getting the best investigators and experts to aid in your defense (DNA Experts, Blood Experts, Fingerprint Experts, Computer Forensic Experts, Former Police Officers, Detectives, Etc.)
  3. Mitigation: Any proper defense includes helping our clients put themselves in the best light to be viewed by the State, the Judge, or a potential jury.  This includes making sure our clients are getting the proper treatment, if necessary, or being proactive about mitigating any damage.

Can you get your case dropped?

It is absolutely possible to get your sex crime charges dismissed, no billed, or reduced if you have the right criminal defense lawyer.  And we know because we have secured these types of outcomes for previous clients.  Every case is different and we cannot ever guarantee an outcome, but some of those results include dismissals and no bills on sexual assaults, online solicitation cases, and child porn cases, and reductions on sexual assaults, online solicitation cases, and child porn cases.  Often times, reductions result in our client avoiding having to register as a sex offender and can avoid a conviction and jail or prison time.

Here are some of the things we are looking at which have helped previous clients get their cases dropped or reduced:

  1. Consent – sometimes a “victim” will claim that a sexual assault occurred even though they consented to the conduct.  Maybe they have regret or are in another relationship and feel pressured to press charges.  These cases should be dropped.
  2. 3 year Romeo & Juliet Statute – in some cases where a sexual assault of a minor occurs, there is a legal defense if you are within 3 years of the “child”, as long as the relationship was consensual.
  3. It wasn’t you – An alibi showing that you were not at the scene of the crime at the time it occurred because, for example, you were at work, or with a friend. Proving you weren’t there when the crime occurred can make a big difference.
  4. Lack of Evidence – If the prosecution has no physical evidence such as DNA or fingerprints, your lawyer may be able to argue that the sex crime cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. If there’s physical evidence against you but it doesn’t directly link you to the crime scene, this could be used as one of many arguments for why your case should be dismissed or your sentence reduced. In online solicitation cases, it’s important to really dig into the messages to see if the elements are met.  The details matter especially in these cases.
  5. Motive to Lie – in cases where the State may lack physical evidence (delayed outcry for instance), one way to beat the charge is if you can show that injured party has a motive to lie about the incident. This sometimes happens in child custody battles.
  6. Suppress Evidence – Another way that your defense lawyer can help is by filing motions to suppress evidence obtained by police through illegal searches and seizures. If the judge agrees that police violated your rights by searching you illegally, he or she will throw out any evidence they found during their search.
  7. Pass a Polygraph – often times, sexual assault charges are “he said, she said”, so if you can pass a polygraph it can go a long way to proving your innocence.
  8. Mitigation – even if there is evidence that you committed a crime, a good lawyer can still help you mitigate the consequences, like getting the case reduced because you completed treatment.  Getting a reduction on the case can sometimes help clients avoiding having to register as a sex offender.

Call a Sex Crime Lawyer in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas

Getting the right lawyer can make a massive difference on your case.  We take the approach that every day, every year matters, so you have to fight for every inch.  It is also important to note that even if the police have enough evidence to arrest you, they don’t necessarily have enough evidence to convict you (the standard in Texas is “beyond a reasonable doubt” to convict). That’s why it’s so important to have the right team fighting for you.

At Hoeller McLaughlin, PLLC, we have the right Fort Worth sex crime lawyers in your corner. To speak with a lawyer about your Tarrant County case, call Hoeller McLaughlin PLLC at 817-334-7900 or complete our form online to set up a consultation.