Violation of Certain Court Orders or Conditions of Bond in a Family Violence Case

From the Law Office of Alison Grinter in Dallas, Texas

1 Degree
2 Statute(s)
3 Caselaw
4 Collateral Consequences
5 Notes

Degree

It is a class A misdemeanor, while subject to a conditions of bond, knowingly or intentionally to commit violence against one's family, or to communicate directly with a member of the protected family to harass, threaten them, or to violate the physical boundaries set forth in the protective order, or to possess a firearm. A third offense, or an assaultive communication is a third degree felony.

Statute(s)

§ 25.07. VIOLATION OF CERTAIN COURT ORDERS OR CONDITIONS OF BOND IN A FAMILY VIOLENCE CASE.

Text of subsection as amended by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 66, § 2

(a) A person commits an offense if, in violation of a condition of bond set in a family violence case and related to the safety of the victim or the safety of the community, an order issued under Article 17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure, an order issued under Section 6.504, Family Code, Chapter 83, Family Code, if the temporary ex parte order has been served on the person, or Chapter 85, Family Code, or an order issued by another jurisdiction as provided by Chapter 88, Family Code, the person knowingly or intentionally:

(1) commits family violence or an act in furtherance of an offense under Section 22.011, 22.021, or 42.072;

(2) communicates:

(A) directly with a protected individual or a member of the family or household in a threatening or harassing manner;

(B) a threat through any person to a protected individual or a member of the family or household; or

(C) in any manner with the protected individual or a member of the family or household except through the person's attorney or a person appointed by the court, if the order prohibits any communication with a protected individual or a member of the family or household;

(3) goes to or near any of the following places as specifically described in the order:

(A) the residence or place of employment or business of a protected individual or a member of the family or household; or

(B) any child care facility, residence, or school where a child protected by the order normally resides or attends; or

(4) possesses a firearm.

Text of subsection effective on approval by the voters of H.J.R. 6, 80th Leg., R.S.

Text of subsection as amended by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1113, § 2

(1) commits family violence or an act in furtherance of an offense under Section 42.072;

(2) communicates:

(A) directly with a protected individual or a member of the family or household in a threatening or harassing manner;

(B) a threat through any person to a protected individual or a member of the family or household; or

(C) in any manner with the protected individual or a member of the family or household except through the person's attorney or a person appointed by the court, if the violation is of an order described by this subsection and the order prohibits any communication with a protected individual or a member of the family or household;

(3) goes to or near any of the following places as specifically described in the order or condition of bond:

(A) the residence or place of employment or business of a protected individual or a member of the family or household; or

(B) any child care facility, residence, or school where a child protected by the order or condition of bond normally resides or attends; or

(4) possesses a firearm.

(b) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Family violence," " family," "household," and "member of a household" have the meanings assigned by Chapter 71, Family Code.

(2) "Firearm" has the meaning assigned by Chapter 46.

(c) If conduct constituting an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under another section of this code, the actor may be prosecuted under either section or under both sections.

(d) Reconciliatory actions or agreements made by persons affected by an order do not affect the validity of the order or the duty of a peace officer to enforce this section.

(e) A peace officer investigating conduct that may constitute an offense under this section for a violation of an order may not arrest a person protected by that order for a violation of that order.

(f) It is not a defense to prosecution under this section that certain information has been excluded, as provided by Section 85.007, Family Code, or Article 17.292, Code of Criminal Procedure, from an order to which this section applies.

Text of subsection effective on approval by the voters of H.J.R. 6, 80th Leg., R.S.

(g) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor unless it is shown on the trial of the offense that the defendant has previously been convicted under this section two or more times or has violated the order or condition of bond by committing an assault or the offense of stalking, in which event the offense is a third degree felony.

Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 4049, ch. 631, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1983. Amended by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 583, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 170, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 677, § 8, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 614, § 23 to 26, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 739, § 4 to 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 366, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Renumbered from § 25.08 and amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, § 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 658, § 2, 3, eff. June 14, 1995; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 660, § 1, 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 1024, § 23, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1, § 2, eff. Jan. 28, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1193, § 21, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 62, § 15.02(c), eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 23, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 134, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 66, § 2, eff. May 11, 2007. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1113, § 1, eff. January 1, 2008. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1113, § 2, eff. January 1, 2008; Acts 2009, 81st Leg., ch. 87, § 19.001, eff. Sept. 1, 2009.

Sec. 25.11. CONTINUOUS VIOLENCE AGAINST THE FAMILY. (a) A person commits an offense if, during a period that is 12 months or less in duration, the person two or more times engages in conduct that constitutes an offense under Section 22.01(a)(1) against another person or persons whose relationship to or association with the defendant is described by Section 71.0021(b), 71.003, or 71.005, Family Code.
(b) If the jury is the trier of fact, members of the jury are not required to agree unanimously on the specific conduct in which the defendant engaged that constituted an offense under Section 22.01(a)(1) against the person or persons described by Subsection (a) or the exact date when that conduct occurred. The jury must agree unanimously that the defendant, during a period that is 12 months or less in duration, two or more times engaged in conduct that constituted an offense under Section 22.01(a)(1) against the person or persons described by Subsection (a).
(c) A defendant may not be convicted in the same criminal action of another offense the victim of which is an alleged victim of the offense under Subsection (a) and an element of which is any conduct that is alleged as an element of the offense under Subsection (a) unless the other offense:
(1) is charged in the alternative;
(2) occurred outside the period in which the offense alleged under Subsection (a) was committed; or
(3) is considered by the trier of fact to be a lesser included offense of the offense alleged under Subsection (a).
(d) A defendant may not be charged with more than one count under Subsection (a) if all of the specific conduct that is alleged to have been engaged in is alleged to have been committed against a single victim or members of the same household, as defined by Section 71.005, Family Code.
(e) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree.
Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 665, Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.