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252nd District Court docket: pleas accepted, deferred probations and several resets
Summary
The court handled a heavy docket of initial appearances, plea hearings, deferred-adjudication sentences and case resets. Several defendants entered guilty pleas that the judge deferred to probation; other matters were reset for hiring counsel or for pre-sentence reports.
The 252nd District Court convened for a mixed docket of initial appearances, pleas and sentencing matters. The judge accepted multiple guilty pleas, deferred adjudication in several cases and ordered pre-sentence reports or short resets where attorneys or evidence remain outstanding.
The docket matters ranged from initial-appearance resets for people who have bonded out and are trying to hire counsel to plea-and-sentencing hearings that resulted in deferred adjudication probation. The judge repeatedly reminded defendants ordered to seek private counsel to contact at least three lawyers and, where appropriate, to fill out indigency paperwork for possible court-appointed counsel.
Lamar University student Lindsay Allen agreed to amend the indictment to remove language alleging possession on a post-secondary campus; the judge accepted a guilty plea to unlawful carrying, a class A misdemeanor, and deferred proceedings to place Allen on two years’ probation with a $500 fine, a drug-education requirement and an order to forfeit the weapon. The judge told Allen that if she completes probation, the case can be dismissed; if she violates probation, she faces up to one year in county jail.
Marissa Fortune entered a plea that the judge accepted and deferred, placing her on four years’ probation, ordering a $500 fine and supervised contact with her child through Child Protective Services. The judge emphasized a no-contact condition with a person identified in the record as Lewis Martin, saying that accepting calls or otherwise violating the no-contact order would likely result in revocation and incarceration. The judge placed Fortune on a specialized mental-health caseload and urged compliance with counseling and probation conditions.
Several other pleas were accepted with deferred adjudication probation attached: Justin Angel (solicitation of prostitution) — 3 years’ probation and a $500 fine; Tyler Callahan (solicitation of prostitution) — 2 years’ deferred adjudication and $500 fine; Dijon (Dijon/Dijon Chavez) Chavez — deferred adjudication probation for 5 years with a $500 fine; and Jairo (Jairo) Rodriguez — a 5-year deferred adjudication probation agreement with restitution to be determined. The judge explained for each that successful completion of probation can avoid a conviction on the record, while violations can expose defendants to the full statutory punishment.
In plea hearings that required additional information or pre-sentence study, the court accepted pleas but ordered pre-sentence reports and returned sentencing to a later date. Ronnie Fontenot pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon; the court found sufficient evidence but reset the matter for a pre-sentence report before sentencing. JC Musgrove pleaded guilty to abandoning or endangering a child; the court found the plea voluntary and competent but ordered a pre-sentence report and deferred sentencing.
Where defendants had not yet hired counsel, the court consistently reset cases for about 30 days and ordered them to contact at least three attorneys, bring names back to court, or complete indigency paperwork. Multiple defendants were given the option to fill out paperwork to request a court-appointed attorney if they could not afford private counsel.
The judge also handled several administrative matters: amendments to indictments (for example, abandoning surplus language in the Lindsay Allen case to reclassify the charge), short scheduling resets when evidence or witnesses need to be produced, and instructions to counsel to coordinate discovery or obtain outstanding video evidence before the next appearance.
The court scheduled follow-ups on multiple matters: some for short resets (one to three weeks) to allow counsel or the district attorney to obtain evidence, and others for longer intervals (about 30 to 45 days) for pre-sentence reports or to give defense counsel time to prepare. For cases where defendants secured pleas and deferred adjudication, the judge issued trial-court-certification forms documenting that defendants waived appeal rights under the plea agreements.
The court’s tone was procedural and directive: the judge repeatedly warned that failing to comply with orders to hire counsel or to follow probation conditions could result in bond increases or incarceration, and that deferred adjudication offered an opportunity to avoid a conviction only if the terms of probation are satisfied.
