187th District Court docket: pleas, sentences and bond orders in multiple cases

Judge Stephanie Boyd presided over a crowded docket in the 187th District Court on matters ranging from plea-admissions and sentencing to bond hearings and revocation motions.

The most consequential outcome came in State v. Rita Lisa Pineda. With Lauren Espinosa announcing the state's presence and Ray Lopez representing the defense, the court accepted Pineda's stipulation and waiver of jury rights and, under the plea agreement, sentenced her to 221 days in the Bexar County Jail with a $600 fine. Judge Boyd told the defendant the sentence would include credit for any time served and warned about limits on jail-credit calculations applied by the county jail. "If you can't find a place to go for a sober support living or something, if I'm still here, come back here. I'll pick up the phone and call somebody to help you," Judge Boyd said, urging treatment resources upon release.

In State v. Gerardo (Gerardo) Nunez Jr., the court reviewed a deferred-adjudication application. The state recommended deferred adjudication with a $1,000 fine (with $500 probated) and community-supervision recommendations including 200 hours of community service, parenting classes and cognitive thinking courses. The court accepted the stipulation and scheduled a follow-up TAP evaluation date of February 5 to inform disposition, noting TAP evaluations typically take three to four weeks.

A motion to revoke in the case of Samuel Alexander Ramirez produced a different result: Ramirez pled true to one alleged violation (failure to submit to court-ordered drug testing). The state waived the remaining alleged violation, but the court denied the state's motion to revoke. Instead, Judge Boyd amended conditions to add supportive outpatient treatment and required the defendant to provide documentation of regular mental-health treatment attendance; probation will continue to monitor compliance with random UAs and other conditions.

The docket also included multiple pleas across cause numbers for Lupe Torres. The court accepted stipulations and entered sentences consistent with plea paperwork in the record: in one cause the court assessed 136 days in the Bexar County Jail and a $1,500 fine (judgment satisfied); in another, after the state waived an enhancement, the agreed punishment included a term assessed at two years in prison and a $1,000 fine. The court accepted the state's exhibits and deferred certain procedural evaluations where requested.

Defense counsel asked the court to set bond on two motions-to-revoke matters for Eric Cantu; defense proposed $50,000 bonds while the state urged $90,000 in each cause, citing ongoing alleged offenses. After reviewing exhibits and eliciting testimony about the defendant's finances, Judge Boyd set bonds at $90,000 per case, ordered full GPS monitoring with the GPS fee waived, prohibited contact with the complainant and set contested hearings for later dates.

Other docket items included scheduling and procedural directions: a 30-day plea-deadline recall and February 19 reset in the matter of Joseph Anthony Ochoa; a felony-drug-court interview and potential referral scheduling for Andreas/Andres Hernandez; and multiple trial settings and resets across the docket. Where TAP evaluations or veteran-treatment referrals were requested, the court set follow-up dates and encouraged probation and counsel to coordinate referrals and interviews.

The court repeatedly reminded defendants that plea bargains are not binding on the court, reviewed admonishments concerning jury rights, deportation consequences for noncitizens and the limits on a defendant's future ability to appeal when waiving appeal rights as part of plea agreements. For cases involving potential habitual-offender enhancements, Judge Boyd explained the effect of an enhancement on the sentencing range and the evidentiary process (pin packets) for proving prior incarcerations.

What happens next: defendants with deadlines were given specific return dates (for example, February 5 for TAP decisions, February 19 for certain plea deadlines, and contested hearing dates where set). Defendants who accepted plea agreements were ordered to comply with conditions imposed by the court and with probation monitoring, and counsel were instructed to coordinate discovery acknowledgments and referrals as directed by the court.

Sources: court proceedings on the 187th District Court docket as recorded in the official hearing transcript.