Many young adults in Tarrant County are attending local colleges or universities, and these individuals can face arrests and criminal charges just like any other person. It will still be essential for any college student facing criminal charges to quickly seek the help of a Fort Worth college student arrest attorney.

The most recent statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) show that there were 27,300 criminal incidents reported to police and security agencies, translating to 18.7 on-campus crimes reported per 10,000 full-time equivalents (FTE) students. An NPR study found that almost 70,000 students were arrested at about 8,000 schools.

College Student Arrests Defense Lawyer in Fort Worth, Arlington, Grapevine, Keller, and Southlake, TX

If you were recently arrested on campus or off be sure to retain legal counsel to help you through the process. An experienced criminal defense attorney will be able to help you avoid this kind of penalty.

Contact the Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy today at (817) 422-5350 for a consultation about your alleged offense in Southlake, Fort Worth, Arlington, Grapevine, Keller, and surrounding areas of Tarrant County, TX area.

Common Kinds of College Student Arrests in Tarrant County

College students in Texas can be prosecuted for any one of many possible criminal offenses. Some of the most common kinds of crimes in these cases usually include:

Theft — Texas Penal Code § 31.03 states that an alleged offender commits a theft offense if they unlawfully appropriate property with intent to deprive the owner of the property. Theft crimes can range from Class C misdemeanors to first-degree felonies.

Burglary — Under Texas Penal Code § 30.02, an alleged offender commits a burglary offense if, without the effective consent of the owner, they enter a habitation, or a building not then open to the public, with intent to commit a felony, theft, or an assault, remain concealed, with intent to commit a felony, theft, or an assault, in a building or habitation, or enter a building or habitation and commit or attempt to commit a felony, theft, or an assault. Burglary charges can range from state jail felonies to first-degree felonies.

Marijuana Offenses — Marijuana crimes may include possession of marijuana, delivery of marijuana, marijuana cultivation or grow houses, marijuana trafficking, or THC concentrate offenses. penalties can again range from class C misdemeanors to first-degree felonies.

Assault — Texas Penal Code § 22.01 establishes that an alleged offender commits an assault offense if they intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly cause bodily injury to another person, including their spouse, intentionally or knowingly threaten another person with imminent bodily injury, including their spouse, or intentionally or knowingly cause physical contact with another person when the alleged offender knows or should reasonably believe that the other person will regard the contact as offensive or provocative. Assault offenses can range from class C misdemeanors to second-degree felonies.

Minor in Possession of Alcohol — Also known as MIP, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code § 106.05 establishes that an alleged offender commits a minor in possession offense if they are a minor who possesses an alcoholic beverage. A minor can legally possess an alcoholic beverage while they are in the course and scope of their employment if they are an employee of a licensee or permittee and the employment is not prohibited, if the minor is in the visible presence of their adult parent, guardian, or spouse, or another adult to whom the minor has been committed by a court, if the minor is under the immediate supervision of a commissioned peace officer engaged in enforcing the provisions of this code, or if the alcoholic beverage is lawfully provided to the minor in accordance with certain course work.

Public Intoxication — Under Texas Penal Code § 49.02, a person commits a public intoxication offense if they appear in a public place while intoxicated to the degree that they might endanger themselves or another person. This is usually a Class C misdemeanor.

Shoplifting — Shoplifting charges are often filed under Texas Penal Code § 31.03, and the classification of these crimes depends on the value of the property stolen, with crimes ranging from Class C misdemeanors for property valued at less than $50 to first-degree felonies for property valued at more than $200,000. Another shoplifting-related charge can be organized retail theft, which a person commits if they intentionally conduct, promote, or facilitate an activity in which they receive, possess, conceal, store, barter, sell, or dispose of stolen retail merchandise or merchandise explicitly represented to the person as being stolen retail merchandise. These crimes also range from Class C misdemeanors to first-degree felonies.

Misdemeanor Firearm Offenses — Under Texas Penal Code § 46.02(a-1), unlawfully carrying a firearm can be a Class A misdemeanor or a third-degree felony. Similarly, unlawful possession of a firearm under Texas Penal Code § 46.04 can also be a Class A misdemeanor or a third-degree felony. Illegally discharging a firearm can be a Class B misdemeanor.

Domestic Violence — Crimes of family violence in Texas may include assault by strangulation, child abuse, continuous violence against the family, domestic assault, injury to a child, interference with a 911 call, stalking or aggravated stalking, and violations of protective orders. Each crime will carry its own specific penalties.

Reckless Driving — Texas Transportation Code § 545.401(a) establishes that an alleged offender commits a reckless driving offense if they drive a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. This crime is an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200 and/or up to 30 days in jail.

Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) — Texas Penal Code § 49.04 is the state DWI law that establishes that an alleged offender commits this crime if they are intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle in a public place. DWI offenses are among the most common crimes college students are charged with, but they still require aggressive legal defense.

Criminal Mischief — Under Texas Penal Code § 28.03, an alleged offender commits a criminal mischief offense if they intentionally make inscriptions, marks, graffiti, drawings, slogans, or painting on a piece of tangible property that belongs to another individual, intentionally damage or destroy any piece of tangible property that belongs to another owner, or intentionally tamper with a piece of tangible property that belongs to another owner, and cause pecuniary loss or substantial inconvenience to the owner. These offenses again range from Class C misdemeanors to first-degree felonies.

Colleges in the Tarrant County Area

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) will charge a $10 license fee to register as an IID user. Installation costs usually range from $70 to $120.

Fort Worth College Student Arrest Resources

Which Students Are Arrested the Most? – Education Week — Education Week identifies as being a trusted resource for K-12 education news and information. Learn more about which races gets arrested most often, who is referred to law enforcement, and the percentage of schools with sworn police officers. Washington, D.C. has the highest percentage of schools with police, while California had the highest number of arrests and referrals, Kansas had the highest percentage of arrests, and Hawaii had the highest percentage of referrals despite having 0.0 percent of schools with police.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Crime in Schools and Colleges — View a study of crime in schools using the Summary Reporting System or the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). It provides an overview of crime in schools by year, alleged offenders in schools by age and by year, and alleged offenders in schools by gender and by year. You can also learn more about the relationships of alleged victims to alleged offenders in schools by year.

Find A Tarrant County Defense Attorney for College Student Arrests | Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy

Are you a college student who was recently arrested for any kind of alleged criminal offense in Tarrant County? You are going to need to work with an experienced criminal defense lawyer so you can avoid any possible consequences that might affect your standing with your college or university.