The Fannin County Criminal District Attorney’s Office Felony Division consists of two experienced felony attorneys, one felony investigator, and a legal secretary.
A felony offense is any offense for which the punishment set by law is confinement in a state jail facility or the state penitentiary or, in the case of a capital murder, death.
All felony cases are prosecuted in the 336th District Court of Fannin County, Texas.
Felony prosecutor responsibilities include evaluating new cases, contacting victims of crime, determining the proper plea bargain recommendations, preparing cases for trial, and representing the State of Texas in all criminal hearings and trials conducted in the district courts.
Cases are disposed of by trials before a jury, trials before a court without a jury, or agreed plea agreements.
Felony prosecutors work daily with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials, as well as the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, to share information and to prepare cases for successful prosecution.
Our office emphasizes the prosecution of repeat offenders and crimes of violence. At the same time, we provide effective prosecution for other felonies in order to preserve the basic fabric of law enforcement and public respect for, and confidence in, the criminal justice system.
The Felony Division also handles all post-conviction criminal matters for the Fannin County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Its responsibilities include appeals in felony, and death penalty cases, motions for rehearing, petitions for discretionary review, and state and some federal writs of habeas corpus in misdemeanor, felony, and death penalty cases.
The Felony Division also handles petitions for expunction and nondisclosure.
Typically, the Felony Division attorneys research the law and apply it to the facts in preparing written documents. The greatest part of the work involves responses to documents prepared by the defense, but on occasion, the staff will initiate an appeal challenging the ruling of a trial court or a motion for rehearing and a petition for review challenging the decision of an appellate court.
The attorneys also prepare and present oral arguments before the Sixth District Court of Appeals, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and sometimes the United States Supreme Court.
Sue Jones – Felony Coordinator (903) 583-7448 / svjones@fanninco.net