Collin County Sex Crimes & Sexual Assault Defense Attorney

A sex crime or sexual assault allegation in Collin County is prosecuted from the McKinney courthouse under Tex. Penal Code § 22.011 and related statutes, and it can carry prison time, lifetime sex-offender registration, and the loss of a career and family. L and L Law Group defends the accused — often before charges are even filed — treating every client as presumed innocent and every allegation as evidence to be tested, not accepted.

If you or someone you love has been accused of a sex offense in Collin County, the most important thing to understand is that an accusation is not a conviction, and the earliest days matter most. Many of these cases begin quietly — a detective's phone call, a message that a child made an "outcry," a request to "come in and clear this up" — long before anyone is arrested. What a person says and does in that window frequently decides the case. This page explains how sex crime and sexual assault cases move through the Collin County courts in McKinney, what the Texas statutes actually require the State to prove, the registration and collateral consequences that make these charges different from any other, and how a sex crimes defense team approaches them. It is written for the accused and their families, in plain terms, without lurid detail.

Sex Crime Allegations in Collin County: Where the Case Goes

Collin County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Texas, with well over a million residents spread across McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Allen, Wylie, Prosper, Celina, and the smaller communities in between. A sexual assault or sex crime report can originate with any of the local police departments — McKinney PD, Plano PD, Frisco PD, Allen PD, Wylie PD — or with the Collin County Sheriff's Office in the unincorporated areas. Regardless of which agency investigates, a felony sex case ends up in the same place: the Collin County Courthouse at 2100 Bloomdale Road in McKinney, where the county's district courts sit.

Felony sexual offenses are indicted by a Collin County grand jury and then assigned to one of the district courts — the 199th, 219th, 296th, 366th, 380th, 401st, 416th, or 417th — which handle the county's felony docket. Lesser sex-related misdemeanors, such as certain indecent-exposure filings, are heard in the Collin County Courts at Law. The elected District Attorney's office staffs these cases with prosecutors who focus on crimes against children and sexual offenses; they tend to move deliberately, lean heavily on forensic interviews and medical exams, and rarely dismiss a case simply because an accuser has second thoughts. Understanding that culture — a courthouse where the State expects the defense to litigate rather than plead — is the starting point for any real defense.

A person arrested for a sex offense in Collin County is typically booked into the Collin County Detention Facility at 4300 Community Avenue in McKinney, operated by the Sheriff's Office. Within 48 hours a magistrate reviews the case, informs the accused of the charges, and sets bond and pretrial conditions under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 15.17. For a deeper walk-through of how cases move locally, our Collin County (McKinney) courthouse guide and Collin County criminal court process pages lay out the mechanics step by step.

Sex Crimes and Sexual Assault Charges We Defend

"Sex crime" is an umbrella that covers a wide range of Texas offenses, from misdemeanors to first-degree felonies carrying life sentences. The defense strategy, the evidence, and the collateral consequences differ sharply from one charge to the next, so the first job is always to understand exactly what has been alleged. We defend the full range of these cases in Collin County, including:

• Sexual assault — Tex. Penal Code §22.011, non-consensual sexual contact or penetration of an adult, and statutory sexual assault of a child. A second-degree felony in most forms.
• Aggravated sexual assault — §22.021, sexual assault plus an aggravating element such as serious bodily injury, a deadly weapon, or a very young complainant. A first-degree felony with a possible 25-year mandatory minimum.
• Indecency with a child — §21.11, sexual contact with or exposure to a child younger than 17. A second- or third-degree felony depending on the conduct, and a registrable offense.
• Online solicitation of a minor — §33.021, communicating sexually with a minor (or someone believed to be a minor) online. Frequently arises from sting operations.
• Indecent exposure — §21.08, exposure with intent to arouse or gratify in reckless disregard of another. A Class B misdemeanor that can still carry registration on a second offense.
• Possession or promotion of child pornography — §43.26, possession or distribution of prohibited visual material. Grades escalate quickly and overlap with federal law.
• Improper relationship between educator and student — §21.12, a second-degree felony that can end a teaching career and trigger SBEC action even before trial.
• Failure to register as a sex offender — Chapter 62 violations, which are prosecuted as new felonies independent of the original offense.

Many people accused of these offenses are not "career criminals" but professionals, parents, students, and first-time defendants facing the collateral loss of everything they have built. Others are already on the registry and now face a new allegation or a registration-compliance dispute; if that is your situation, our Texas sex offender deregistration and early-termination resource explains the separate path for getting off the registry.

Punishment Ranges: What the Texas Statutes Actually Say

Texas grades sexual offenses by the conduct alleged and the age and vulnerability of the complainant. The ranges below reflect the current Penal Code; always confirm the exact grading of a specific charge, because enhancements and prior convictions can move an offense up the ladder.

What the State Must Prove — and Where Cases Break Down

A sexual assault charge under §22.011 requires the State to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the accused intentionally or knowingly caused a sexual act "without the consent" of the complainant, as that phrase is defined in the statute (which includes force, threats, incapacity, and other specific circumstances). In child cases, the "without consent" question is replaced by the complainant's age. Aggravated sexual assault under §22.021 adds an aggravating element the State must also prove. Because the burden is on the prosecution and the standard is the highest in law, a defense is built by testing each element rather than by proving innocence.

In practice, Collin County sex cases most often turn on a handful of pressure points:

• Consent and credibility in adult cases. Many adult sexual-assault allegations are "one-witness" cases with no independent proof of what happened behind a closed door. The defense examines the relationship history, communications before and after, intoxication, motive to fabricate, and inconsistencies between the accuser's statements over time.
• The reliability of a child's forensic interview. Child cases typically rest on a single recorded interview conducted at a children's advocacy center. Those interviews can be affected by leading questions, prior conversations with adults, and known problems of child suggestibility. We review the recording frame by frame and, where warranted, retain an expert on interview protocols.
• Medical and SANE evidence. A sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) exam is often described to a jury as proof, but medical findings are frequently "non-specific" and consistent with many explanations. We obtain the full records and, when appropriate, a defense medical expert to explain what the findings do and do not show.
• DNA and its limits. The presence of DNA can confirm contact without proving assault, particularly between people in an existing relationship. The real questions are what the DNA shows, how it was collected and interpreted, and whether the lab followed its protocols.
• Digital forensics. In online-solicitation and image cases, the defense scrutinizes device attribution, who actually had access, how data was seized, and whether the search complied with the Fourth Amendment.
• Statements to police. A voluntary statement given to a detective before arrest is often the strongest evidence against the accused. We litigate whether such statements were obtained lawfully and whether they should be suppressed.

None of this is about attacking a victim. It is about holding the State to its burden and making sure a jury sees the whole picture — because the consequences of a wrongful conviction here are permanent.

Pre-Arrest and Pre-Charge: The Most Important Window

Unlike many crimes, sex offenses are frequently investigated for weeks or months before any arrest. A person may learn they are under investigation when a Collin County detective calls, when a spouse or CPS raises an outcry, or when they are asked to submit to a "voluntary" interview or polygraph. This pre-charge window is where a defense lawyer has the most leverage — and where an unrepresented person can do the most damage to their own case.

You are not required to give a statement to police, and you should not do so without counsel. A defense attorney can communicate with the investigator on your behalf, present exculpatory facts, arrange for the orderly production of evidence, and in some situations influence whether a case is filed at all or presented to the grand jury with a defense packet. Once charges are filed, that flexibility narrows. If you have been contacted by any Collin County agency about a sexual allegation, the single most protective step is to stop talking and call a lawyer before your next conversation with an investigator.

Bond and Pretrial Conditions in Collin County Sex Cases

After an arrest, the magistrate sets a bond amount and conditions. In sex cases — especially those involving a child — Collin County judges routinely impose conditions that go well beyond a dollar figure: no contact with the complainant, no unsupervised contact with any minor, and, under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 17.41, a child-safety-zone condition that keeps the accused away from schools, parks, and other places children gather. GPS monitoring, internet restrictions, and surrender of passports are common in aggravated cases.

These conditions can force a parent out of their own home before any trial and can cost a job. That is why bond litigation is not an afterthought. We move promptly for a bond hearing to seek a workable amount and to narrow conditions to what the law actually requires — for example, carving out supervised contact with the accused's own children where the complainant is someone else. Collin County's pretrial services division supervises these conditions closely, and a violation can land a person back in custody, so it is critical to understand and comply with every term while we work to modify the unreasonable ones. Our Collin County bond conditions and bond reduction resources go deeper on this process.

Sex Offender Registration and Collateral Consequences

What makes a sex offense unlike any other charge is what happens after the sentence. Many sex offenses are "reportable convictions" under Chapter 62 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, triggering a duty to register as a sex offender. Some offenses carry a ten-year registration duty measured from discharge of the sentence; the most serious — aggravated sexual assault, continuous sexual abuse, and repeat offenses — carry a lifetime duty. Registration can attach even to deferred adjudication for certain offenses, which means a person can avoid a "conviction" and still be required to register. Whether a specific charge is reportable is fact-specific and must be confirmed before any plea is even discussed.

The collateral fallout reaches into every part of life:

• Employment and licensing — teaching certificates (SBEC), nursing, medical, and other professional licenses can be suspended or revoked, sometimes on the allegation alone.
• Housing and residency — registration and child-safety-zone rules restrict where a person can live and work.
• Family and custody — CPS involvement and family-court proceedings often run parallel to the criminal case, with their own lower burden of proof.
• Immigration — sex offenses are among the most serious immigration-triggering crimes; a non-citizen must have these consequences evaluated before any resolution.

Because these consequences are frequently as damaging as the sentence, we build the defense with licensing boards, family court, and immigration in view from day one — not just the criminal docket. And where a case does resolve, protecting eligibility for future relief, including possible expunction or record sealing if the case is dismissed, is part of the plan.

Case Timeline: From Investigation to Disposition

A Collin County sex case tends to move through six phases. The steps taken before an arrest and in the first weeks after — retaining counsel early, litigating bond conditions, preserving and scrutinizing forensic evidence — frequently shape the entire outcome.

1. Investigation and OutcryThe case often begins before arrest, with an outcry, a forensic interview or SANE exam, and a detective seeking a statement. Retaining counsel in this window is the most important single step.
2. Arrest, Booking, and MagistrationAfter a warrant or filing, the accused is booked into the Collin County Detention Facility in McKinney; a magistrate sets bond and conditions within 48 hours under art. 15.17.
3. Bond and Condition LitigationDefense counsel requests a hearing to reduce bond and to narrow no-contact and child-safety-zone conditions under art. 17.41 so a client is not needlessly removed from home.
4. Grand Jury and IndictmentFelony sex offenses are presented to a Collin County grand jury; the defense can submit exculpatory material before a true bill is returned.
5. Discovery, Forensics, and MotionsUnder art. 39.14 the defense obtains the forensic interview, SANE and DNA records, and digital forensics, retains experts, and files motions to suppress and in limine.
6. Disposition and Post-JudgmentThe case ends in dismissal, deferred adjudication where available, probation, or trial before a McKinney district court. Registration and licensing exposure drive many cases toward trial.

How L and L Law Group Defends These Cases

L and L Law Group, PLLC is a husband-and-wife firm. Co-Founding Partners Reggie London (State Bar #24043514) and Njeri London (State Bar #24043266) defend sex crime and sexual assault cases as a team, and every file is reviewed by both attorneys. In a category of case where the stakes are a client's liberty, reputation, and family, that second set of eyes is not a luxury. Our approach follows a consistent protocol:

1. Immediate Pre-Charge InterventionWhen a client is contacted by a detective before any arrest, we step in at once, communicate with the investigator, and work to present exculpatory information before a charging decision is made.
2. Forensic and Interview ReviewWe obtain and scrutinize the recorded forensic interview, SANE findings, and any DNA reports, examining protocols, suggestibility, chain of custody, and the true limits of the science.
3. Bond and Condition AdvocacyWe litigate bond amount and conditions in the McKinney courts, seeking to narrow no-contact and child-safety-zone orders so a client is not needlessly separated from family before trial.
4. Expert-Driven Motion PracticeWe retain qualified experts on child-interview reliability, DNA interpretation, and digital forensics, and file motions to suppress statements and evidence and motions in limine on prior conduct under Tex. R. Evid. 404(b).
5. Resolution — Dismissal, Reduction, or TrialWe negotiate from trial readiness while accounting for registration and licensing exposure. When a fair resolution is unavailable, we try the case to a Collin County jury and preserve every appellate issue.

Across the wider region, this is the same team clients turn to for our Dallas sex crimes defense and for general criminal defense in Collin County. Wherever the case sits, the commitment is the same: a dignified, thorough defense that treats the accused as innocent until the State proves otherwise.

Collin County Sex Crimes FAQ

Related Charges & Resources

This page is attorney advertising and educational legal information. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutory references are current as of the date of publication; consult the Texas Penal Code at statutes.capitol.texas.gov for the latest text. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.