No judge no handshake, just done.
In my first initial court appearance I was able to witness a man complete his DIVERT program. He went in front of the judge and got a firm handshake with a polite, "Congratulations, you did it." and he was on his way. I looked forward to getting that handshake and congrats mostly because when I was finally dismissed and free to go I wanted to tell the judge what I thought of the program. Now, this could be GODs way of keeping me from contempt of court and out of jail, but I am still a bit disappointed. On Friday, May 25th my court date was held without me or my lawyer. The papers were signed and filed with the court clerk. The courts are so overloaded with criminal cases that they would rather not having you in there taking up space just to sign a dismissal paper. Hmmm....ok, but it was fine to have me sit in court for 2 months while the HPD lab "tested" my blood sample and still didn't have a conviction. Sure, that's legal and fair. I'm no more happy with the Harris County Judicial system today than I was a year ago. Its still bullshit politics and completely against every right to a fair trial each one of us is entitled to have. Ok I've complained enough.
So for those of you who are excited about the end and the congrats, sorry to disappoint you but it probably wont happen.
On another note, I noticed that I have not itemized the actual cost of the program and probation period. I will make sure to find all of my documents and post each cost accordingly to give those of you an idea of what might be coming in the future. Luckily, my brother was my attorney so I did not have to endure that cost. I did hire an outside attorney to handle my case for my license revocation. My very lucky self did not get my license revoked due to a mishandling of documents...whew....but that was one of the hefty costs that I did have to pay out of pocket. My next post will give details.
Comment with any questions, nothing is too small or seemingly idiotic...seriously, I've dealt with the county, nothing is more asinine ;-)
So for those of you who are excited about the end and the congrats, sorry to disappoint you but it probably wont happen.
On another note, I noticed that I have not itemized the actual cost of the program and probation period. I will make sure to find all of my documents and post each cost accordingly to give those of you an idea of what might be coming in the future. Luckily, my brother was my attorney so I did not have to endure that cost. I did hire an outside attorney to handle my case for my license revocation. My very lucky self did not get my license revoked due to a mishandling of documents...whew....but that was one of the hefty costs that I did have to pay out of pocket. My next post will give details.
Comment with any questions, nothing is too small or seemingly idiotic...seriously, I've dealt with the county, nothing is more asinine ;-)
Just found your blog...looks very informative. I have a DIVERT interview soon. They took my blood and i was twice over the legal limit so now I have an interlock.
ReplyDeleteHoping my license doesn't get suspended...my lawyer is overpriced and somewhat useless. I noticed in your latest post you said they may contact your place of employment. Did this happen with you?
Hi, sorry you have to go to through this...sux. They did not contact my employer, but it is always possible. I don't think they will especially if they have your pay stubs, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. If you have any other questions please let me know.
ReplyDeleteNo handshake for me either. I did go to court, but my lawyer just had to sign a document saying the case was dismissed. I didn't have to sign anything either.
ReplyDeleteB
So I go to court on july 2nd for my dismal and my last po vist is the 19th. So your saying there a good chance that I might not even have to appear in court?
ReplyDeleteJeff, it's definitely possible. Ask your attorney if you are required to be in court, for myself it was not required which was awesome. Hopefully, you will be able to skip it and move on :)
ReplyDeleteCheers x