What a Dismissal Means to You!
Imagine you’ve been arrested, and the State is strongly pursuing the charges against you. The system can and will move quickly and swiftly against you. There are two outcomes that any criminal defendant really wants to see: a not-guilty at trial, or the more likely, a dismissal of the charges.
Dismissals are optimal in criminal cases because they will often eliminate the need (and risk) of a trial. However, not every case can be dismissed, and there are counties in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that will not dismiss any case, for any reason.
“How do people get cases dismissed?” you ask. A case might be dismissed because the prosecution does not have enough evidence, or a key witness may refuse to testify. A case can be dismissed if the police did something illegal during your arrest, and your attorney wins a motion to suppress the evidence. A dismissal can occur through an agreement with the prosecutor and a defense attorney where conditions are placed on a defendant. A felony defendant could also be “no billed” at the grand jury level, leading to a dismissal of the case.
If your case is dismissed, you will then be entitled to have your criminal record completely erased. This is done through the Expunction process in Texas. Once your case is Expunged, it’s like you were never arrested, and your record will be clean of that charge and the arrest!
It’s important to hire a skilled attorney for your case because an attorney can potentially find a reason that will help get your case dismissed!