252nd District Court: multiple guilty pleas, sentences and probation revocations; one defendant ordered to inpatient competency restoration

The 252nd District Court on Oct. 4 heard a large docket that produced several guilty pleas and sentences, multiple probation-revocation matters reset for sentencing, a denial of a bond-reduction request and an order placing a defendant in inpatient competency restoration with authorization for psychoactive medication.

The day’s most immediate orders included a finding that a defendant identified only as "Brandon" was mentally ill and an inpatient treatment order. The judge ordered inpatient competency restoration for up to one year and authorized the administration of psychoactive medication to restore competency, saying, "I am going to find that he is mentally ill … and I will order that he remain in the appropriate facility for a period of not to exceed, 1 year, for competency restoration." The court took the finding on the basis of two physician certificates from Terrell State Hospital and related medical reports presented by counsel.

The court also recorded multiple pleas and sentences. Cushawn Jones pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (count 1) and was sentenced per the plea agreement to two years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; the court dismissed a related cause number. Christopher Wade pleaded guilty to evading arrest or detention with the use of a vehicle and was sentenced under the agreement to eight years in the institutional division. Anthony Domingo, who had earlier pleaded guilty in two separate cases, received concurrent eight-year terms in the institutional division in each case. Jonathan Neland entered pleas of true on probation-revocation allegations and was sentenced under his agreement to three years in the institutional division.

Several defendants entered pleas of true to probation-revocation motions but were not sentenced that day. The court found sufficient evidence to revoke probation for Brandon Jamal Clayton on multiple alleged violations (counts 1–7) and for Anthony Mendoza on counts 1–13, but in both matters the judge reset the cases for sentencing to allow the probation department to prepare updated reports. "Find sufficient evidence to find you guilty and revoke your probation, but I'm not going to do that today. What I'm going to do is reset your case for a sentencing hearing," the judge told one defendant after accepting pleas of true.

At least one motion to reduce bond was denied. The court heard arguments on bond for Romeo Johnson, who faced separate murder and aggravated-robbery indictments. After considering evidence, recorded surveillance and the defendant’s criminal history, the judge denied the motion to reduce bond and left the case set for further proceedings.

The court resolved other matters by plea and disposition: Brian Cabiness II pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a vehicle and was sentenced to 12 months in the Jefferson County jail under Section 12.44 of the penal code (local custody placement); Dante Caddy entered pleas of true on multiple probation-revocation counts and was reset for sentencing with the district attorney recommending a cap of four years under an agreement; and Devon White received a five-year probated sentence for evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, with a $500 fine and high-medium supervision.

In a sentencing with family present, the court deferred proceedings and placed Jose Vargas Perez on probation for 10 years with a $500 fine waived initially, ordered completion of a battering-intervention program (BIP) and imposed GPS monitoring until BIP completion; the judge limited contact with the alleged victim and prohibited living at or going to the victim’s residence or place of employment pending compliance, warning that any violation would subject the defendant to revocation and imprisonment.

The court repeatedly advised defendants of firearm-possession consequences that follow felony convictions. In multiple cases the judge handed defendants a written admonishment that, because of judgments to be entered or already entered, they are ineligible under Texas law to possess a firearm or ammunition and that possession could lead to additional charges.

Hearings that were continued or reset included murder cases set for trial or further discovery (several defendants were told to review recently produced extractions and discovery materials), competency evaluations for defendants flagged as possibly incompetent, and routine criminal-docket resets.

The court instructed defendants and counsel to provide any information the probation department should consider before sentencing in cases reset for that purpose and repeatedly scheduled updated pre-sentence reports where the court said more information was needed before final disposition.

Ending: The 252nd District Court’s docket Oct. 4 combined immediate sentencing outcomes with multiple deferred decisions and procedural orders; several matters will return to the court after updated probation and discovery work is completed.