252nd District Court accepts pleas, imposes sentences and issues resets in multiple felony matters

The 252nd District Court on Monday processed a series of pleas, sentencings and docket resets across multiple felony matters.

Presiding Judge accepted multiple plea agreements, imposed sentences in several cases and issued routine 30‑day resets in many initial appearances to allow defendants to seek counsel. Assistant district attorneys and defense counsel handled appearances for the state and individual defendants.

Ashanti Holmes: plea, jail schedule

Ashanti Holmes pleaded guilty to the class A misdemeanor of unauthorized use, alteration, or transfer of SNAP benefits under Texas Human Resources Code §33.011(a), the court recorded. Following the plea, the judge sentenced Holmes to a total of one year in the Jefferson County Jail under a phased schedule the parties described in open court: a 125‑day term beginning at 6 p.m. on April 13, 2025, and ending Aug. 16, 2025; a 60‑day term from Sept. 13, 2025, through Nov. 10, 2025, if the sentence remained unsatisfied; and an additional 180‑day term starting Jan. 3, 2026, through July 2, 2026, only if prior portions were not satisfied. The judge accepted the agreement, waived a presentence investigation and the defendant waived the right to appeal, the transcript shows.

Kayla Davis: probated 10‑year sentence

In a separate proceeding, Kayla Davis, who pleaded guilty earlier to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, was sentenced under a plea agreement to a 10‑year prison term that the judge probated for eight years. The court ordered a $1,500 fine and credited Davis with 113 days served; the judge said she was modifying the plea paperwork to reflect 113 days of credit so Davis would not be taken into custody that day. The judge warned that a probation violation could result in imposition of the original 10‑year sentence.

Jordan Evans: positive drug test at sentencing; probation and treatment ordered

Jordan Evans tested positive for marijuana at an in‑court test on the morning of sentencing. The judge deferred adjudication and placed Evans on probation for 10 years under terms that include mandatory enrollment and successful completion of the JCDI program (an intensive outpatient treatment program), required drug-patch monitoring and regular reporting to probation. The judge told Evans the court expects compliance and warned that continued positive tests or other violations could lead to prison time. “If you use marijuana after today, when I put you on this probation and you violate by smoking marijuana, you could go to prison for 20 years,” the Presiding Judge said during the sentencing colloquy.

Javier Montanez Casillas: deferred probation and restitution

Javier Montanez Casillas pleaded guilty to credit or debit card abuse; the court accepted a plea agreement for two years deferred probation, a $500 fine and restitution set at $22. The defendant waived a presentence report and the judge entered the deferred‑probation order after the parties indicated agreement.

Other matters and routine resets

The court routinely reset numerous initial appearances and hearings — typically about 30 days — to allow defendants time to try to hire attorneys. In multiple resets the judge instructed defendants who could not hire counsel to consult with at least three lawyers and to bring the names of those attorneys to the next court date. The court also directed defense counsel to subpoena school records in at least one matter where records were described as critical to defense preparation.

The actions recorded were formal court rulings: pleas accepted, probation or jail terms imposed, fines and restitution ordered, and calendar resets entered. Many of the other cases on the docket were continued to give defendants time to obtain counsel and for the lawyers to review discovery.

The court’s next scheduled appearances will include follow‑up compliance and probation paperwork processing and return settings for the cases reset today.