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Court docket roundup: multiple pleas, probation orders and sentence resets at 252nd District Court
Summary
At a lengthy docket call the 252nd District Court accepted guilty pleas, imposed or deferred sentences, ordered competency restoration in one case and reset trials in several others; the judge repeatedly urged participation in treatment programs as conditions of probation.
The 252nd District Court heard a long docket of criminal matters, including guilty pleas, sentencing under plea agreements, competence findings and several trial resets.
Key outcomes announced by the court included:
- Jeremiah Branch: The court found sufficient evidence in cause numbers 25DCCR1382 and 1385 and, following the plea agreement in 1385, deferred proceedings and placed Branch on 10 years’ probation with a $500 fine. The judge ordered Branch to enter and successfully complete the JCDI outpatient intensive drug‑treatment program and to continue required services with Spindletop. “If you do everything you’re supposed to and successfully complete these probations, this is an excellent opportunity today because you do not have these felony convictions on your record,” the judge told Branch.
- Ruth Stewart (25DCCR1692): The judge took judicial notice of a competency evaluation by Dr. Hamza and found Stewart not competent to stand trial; the court ordered inpatient competency restoration for a period not to exceed 120 days and directed the probation department to report back to the court.
- Jose Manuel Lopez Pemias: With an interpreter present, Lopez Pemias rejected the state’s offer and elected to go forward to jury trial next week on three aggravated-assault-with-a-deadly-weapon indictments. The court warned that if prior convictions are proven the defendant faces a minimum punishment of 25 years to 99 years or life.
- Keisha Lewis: The court allowed ministerial amendments and then heard plea admissions and evidence in multiple motions to revoke unadjudicated probation. The judge found several counts true and, where agreement existed, sentenced Lewis in accordance with plea agreements (concurrent four-year terms on felony counts as announced in court).
- Leonard Guillory (revocation hearing): After a contested hearing that included civilian and law‑enforcement testimony, the court found multiple violations true (including failure to report post‑arrest, not completing required community service or MRT, and evading arrest on a bicycle). Rather than immediately revoking probation, the judge ordered Guillory assessed for the probation department’s special‑needs mental‑health caseload and required entry into treatment and continued medication and supervision; the court reserved resolution of related pending matters for a short reset.
- Multiple other defendants had pleas accepted or trials reset: defendants including Brianna Jones, Nevada Bates, Eric Seagrest and David Greer were among those whose matters were set for sentencing or trial or otherwise continued so that the probation department or counsel could complete pre‑sentence investigations or obtain witness follow‑up.
Throughout the docket the judge frequently emphasized rehabilitative programs and compliance with probation conditions, warning that failure to follow conditions can result in prison sentences within the statutory ranges. Several cases raised statutory and procedural issues — for example, whether a bicycle counts as a vehicle for enhancement purposes — which the court flagged for further research or limited factual findings.
