Judge Boyd accepts pleas, issues sentences and denies bond reduction in multiple felony cases

SAN ANTONIO — Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court handled multiple pleas, sentencing events and a bond request on Feb. 20, producing several felony convictions, probation terms and one denied bond-reduction motion.

The court accepted a guilty plea from Darren Doze in cause 20220493 to aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. After confirming Doze read and understood the plea documents, Judge Boyd followed the plea agreement by suspending an eight-year prison term and placing Doze on community supervision for eight years, with a $1,500 fine to be probated. The court entered an affirmative finding of family violence and ordered a no-contact directive involving the identified complainant. The court also imposed mandated reporting, random drug testing and several treatment and service conditions, including a Batterer’s Intervention and Prevention Program (BIPP), a TAP evaluation, a cognitive behavioral course and field visits. The judge told Doze: "If you come before me again ... we're gonna have issues," when discussing future anger-related conduct.

Defense counsel told the court the plea agreement was "in the best interest of justice," and the court accepted the plea after the state and defense confirmed procedural compliance. Prosecutors and defense discussed GPS fees that had accrued for Doze; defense counsel estimated about $10,000 in assessed fees to date, and the court said it had no authority to waive private contractor GPS fees.

In cause 2024CR013090, a motion to reduce bond for Allison Settle was denied. The court said it would "deny the motion," but altered conditions to require full GPS monitoring while waiving the monitoring fees. The state opposed the reduction and noted concerns about the allegations and Settle’s history; defense counsel emphasized Settle’s pregnancy and that she was scheduled to deliver in about four to six weeks and sought reduction so she would not deliver in custody. The judge set a reset for March 20 and instructed the state to be prepared to tender an offer at that hearing.

The court accepted a plea in 20249355 from Walter Davies. The judge found Davies guilty following stipulated testimony and accepted the plea recommending a three-year prison term with probation. The court sentenced Davies to three years’ imprisonment, suspended and probated for two years, and imposed a $2,000 probated fine. Conditions included no contact with the named victim, regular reporting (Zoom or in person), random UAs and monthly field visits for three months; the court ordered documentation of SSI within 45 days.

In a revocation-related proceeding for Justin Galena (case 202111622), the court found a violation of a condition of deferred adjudication to be true. The judge denied a defense request to alter conditions and ordered an in-custody TAP evaluation with instructions to follow TAP recommendations. The court also directed 120 sober meetings in 120 days as part of the amended conditions and continued sentencing; Galena will remain in custody pending further action and the court said it would consider an out-of-county probation-transfer request after receiving the TAP report.

Across cases, Judge Boyd repeatedly emphasized procedural protections, telling defendants at plea proceedings that, because they had signed waiver and appeal paragraphs, "you do not have the court's permission to appeal" the plea-based convictions and reminding them that affirmative findings of family violence trigger additional, non-discretionary prohibitions such as weapons restrictions.

The court recorded specific treatment and supervision terms that defendants must follow if placed on community supervision, such as attendance at BIPP and cognitive-behavioral programming, employment requirements, monthly field visits and random drug testing. In at least one case the court said completion of a cognitive-behavioral course would reduce some community-service hours; the transcript contains overlapping references to total community-service hours that should be clarified with court records.

The court set several reset and plea-deadline dates, most commonly March 20, and ordered relevant parties to be prepared at those dates for offers, motions or to proceed to sentencing.

What the court did not do was grant relief from third-party GPS contractor fees; the judge said she lacked authority to alter third-party contractual fee obligations.

The docket contained multiple additional administrative calls, and several defendants were placed on call for jury proceedings or continued settings.