Fort Worth Criminal Trespass Defense Lawyers - Baker and Dameron

Under Texas Penal Code § 30.05, the definition of criminal trespass is more complex than the simple notion of being on someone else's land. One way to commit the offense is to enter upon another's property even though one has notice that the entry is forbidden. Another way is to remain on another's property, refusing to leave after receiving notice to depart.

Notice can be given in any one of five forms. First, it can be an oral or written communication by the owner or someone acting for the owner. Second, it can be a fence or other enclosure obviously designed to exclude intruders or to contain livestock. Third, notice can be in the form of a sign posted on the property or at the entrance to the building, reasonably likely to be noticed, indicating that entry is forbidden. Fourth, notice can be in the form of readily visible purple paint marks of proper size and placement on trees or posts spaced no more than 100 feet apart on forest land or 1,000 feet apart on non-forest land. Fifth, notice can be the visible presence on the property of a crop grown for human consumption that is under cultivation, in the process of being harvested, or marketable if harvested at the time of entry. Fort Worth criminal trespass is the unwanted intrusion of someone on another's property.

If you feel you have been falsely accused of criminal trespass in Fort Worth, you will need to employ the services of a skilled criminal trespass lawyer.

Criminal trespass is normally a Class B misdemeanor with a fine up to $2,000 and a jail term up to 180 days. If the trespass is on agricultural land, and the trespasser is apprehended within 100 feet of the boundary of the land, the offense is a Class C misdemeanor with a fine up to $500. Agricultural land is broadly defined and includes land suitable for growing plants or trees or for keeping farm or ranch animals. However, under certain conditions including trespassing in another person's home, the offense is a Class A misdemeanor with a fine up to $4,000 and a jail term up to one year. At the law office of Baker and Dameron, our Fort Worth criminal trespass attorneys have a successful history of defending individuals who have been accused of trespassing in the Fort Worth area. By negotiating with prosecutors, we will attempt to get your trespass charge dismissed or get it reduced to an infraction, which does not go on your criminal record. Please contact us today for a free consultation. Our attorneys will help you decide the best course of action.