Category Archives: Family Violence

Texas Domestic Violence Charges: the New 2022 Federal Gun Ban

The tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, claimed the lives of nineteen children and two adults.  For details, read the coverage series provided online by the Texas Tribune. Understandably this had a tremendous and shattering impact not only for the local community who suffered personal losses, but for…


Texas Continuous Violence Against the Family:  TPC §25.11

On September 1, 2019, prosecutors in the State of Texas were given greater power to charge and convict individuals based upon allegations of domestic violence when HB1661 became law.  In the House Committee Report, lawmakers explained the purpose of the new legislation as follows: “It has been noted that prosecutors are unable to pursue charges…


Parental Kidnapping in Texas: When Taking Your Child is a Felony

Back in 1996, our Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex was the first place in the country to use a widespread broadcasting alert to help find missing children in a system that has come to be known around the world as the “AMBER Alert System.”  Today, phone notifications, flashing highway signs, and breaking news stories share information about…


Family Violence Charges: 5 Reasons to Leave Before the Police Arrive

Domestic violence, referenced as “family violence” in Texas Penal Code §71.004, is one of the most common types of 911 calls received by police in this country, with one research study suggesting that as many as 50% of all police calls historically have dealt with domestic violence complaints.  See, Hendricks, J., ed. Crisis Intervention in…


Ring Camera Proves Alibi Defense in Tarrant County Aggravated Assault/Deadly Weapon

Michael Lowe’s client was accused with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon in Tarrant County. The father of her child was the complaining witness. Late last year, Mr. Lowe’s client was assaulted by the complaining witness. He was arrested and charged with Assault/Family Violence in Tarrant County. The child’s father continued to have contact with…


More Women Arrested for Domestic Assault in Dallas with The First Battered Men’s Shelter in the Country?

This summer, Dallas made history with the opening of the first Battered Men’s Shelter in the United States.  This is a facility designed to help men who are victims of domestic violence and assault, just as battered women’s shelters have done for years. Dallas Opens First Battered Men’s Shelter in the Country This new men’s…


Loss of Privacy And Arrest in Texas: Hurting Your Job, Your Relationships, Your Life

You can be arrested under either federal or state law here in Texas. We’ve discussed how those two systems work side by side here in Dallas, Fort Worth, and North Texas. For more on the process of being detained, arrested, and released on bail, read: Out on Bail: Pre-Trial Conditions in Dallas, Fort Worth, and…


Manslaughter Case No Billed in Morris County, Texas

Mr. Lowe’s client got into a drunken argument with his father-in-law on Christmas day 2015.  The argument became physical and and Mr. Lowe’s client pushed his father-in-law off his father-in-law’s front porch of the father-in-law’s home in Naples, Texas.  The fall resulted in severe brain trauma.  The client’s wife was present when the altercation took…


Was Johnny Depp Falsely Accused of Domestic Violence? The Overlap Between Divorce Law and Criminal Defense

The crime of domestic violence is getting lots of media attention this week because — once again — Hollywood is providing a spotlight on criminal law and in doing so, educating the public about the reality of criminal acts and the harm that they cause to everyone involved. Which is a good thing. It’s only…


Johnny Manziel, Domestic Violence Allegations: 5 Lessons

Tomorrow, the Dallas Grand Jury will hear from a prosecutor as the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office present its case against Johnny Manziel. The Grand Jury will hear the DA’s evidence that the former NFL quarterback physically assaulted his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, at the Hotel ZaZa in downtown Dallas back in January 2016 and again…