Author: lawoffice

Case Dismissed

OK DHS Takes Both Kids [Rogers County, OK]

Posted by lawoffice on

Criminal Charge:
Case: ITIO E.C. and L.C., Alleged Deprived Children
Court: [JD-22-39][Rogers County, OK]
Result: Case Dismissed

What you are about to read is the kind of abuse that plagues families in the juvenile court system.  We cannot publish the evidence of this abuse because the courts, OK DHS and prosecutors exploit the “confidentiality” of juvenile proceedings. 10A O.S. 1-6-107.

Two kids were seized from their parents when the 6 yo boy’s Anglo teachers called OK DHS claiming he said his dad hit him in the eye. The bilingual boy had serious speech issues, scoring in the 1%-6% in communications skills while in therapy. While examining his phantom black eye, these women decided to strip him and spread this child’s cheeks. And photograph it.  Meanwhile, mom immediately complied with DHS’ demand she come to the school with her infant daughter – where OK DHS unceremoniously claimed her birthmarks were signs of abuse and took her, too. Then they filed a petition to adjudicate the kids “deprived”. Typical DHS.

The parents called Haslam seven months into the case desperate for an aggressive defense. Haslam immediately rounded up years of medical records showing the boy had a congenital tear duct obstruction that caused seasonal eye blowups. He also exposed a serious material falsehood in the OK DHS investigator’s report.  Then he got a court order returning the kids to the parents because the State – despite all its claims about abuse and neglect – failed to try the case within the obligatory 180 days. 10A O.S. 1-4-601[B][2].

Nonetheless, the State still planned to try the case and take the kids back.  After running headlong into several troubling pretrial decisions by the judge with only four months in a black robe, Haslam filed his motion to disqualify the judge for conducting unlawful ex parte communications with opposing counsel and other violations of the Oklahoma Code of Judicial Conduct.  Hours later, the judge signed an order granting the State’s motion to dismiss the entire case.

Case Dismissed

Assault Causes Bodily Injury [Van Zandt County, TX]

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Divorce gets ugly.

Haslam successfully defended a young firefighter against false claims of domestic violence – including a court order awarding him $17,000 in attorney’s fees – leveled by his spouse the same day she filed for divorce. You’d think this would’ve shut down the woman scorned act.  But no….

After the dismissal of these false claims, the ex-spouse of the young firefighter’s new fiancé – represented by the same lawyer who represented the losing wife – determined to have another go at him. His new fiancé’s ex-spouse alleged the young dad assaulted him one afternoon when he went to pick up his own children. He filed charges with local law enforcement. And he asked for a civil protective order against the young dad.

Haslam cross-examined the ex-spouse under oath and the protective was summarily denied.  Moving on to the ex-spouse’s allegation of criminal assault causing bodily injury, Haslam persuaded the Van Zandt County District Attorney to hold off on accepting the case until he could prepare a binder of materials challenging the ex-spouse’s credibility. In particular, Haslam included text messages, e-mails, and the transcript of the civil protective order hearing in which he cross-examined the ex-spouse and caught him in multiple inconsistent statements. After reviewing the binder, the prosecutor declined to even bring charges.

Case Dismissed

Drug Possession [Dallas]

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Ms. Sorto was arrested in December 2018 at her home after an alleged domestic squabble, a charge that was quickly dismissed. However, arresting Dallas Police Officers claimed they found meth on her when she was booked into the Dallas County jail. Curiously, the female officer who had searched her person at the scene of the arrest found no drugs on her.

Haslam quickly filed motions to suppress her alleged confession and the lab analysis of the allegedly recovered drugs. Both the State and the trial court turned a blind eye to Haslam’s motions. Quietly, all along the way, he filed demands for a speedy trial. Eventually, in the Spring of 2021, Haslam stepped up his demands for evidence and hearings on his motions. In June 2021, he moved to dismiss this felony because Keila’s right to a speedy trial had been denied. When the trial court also ignored this motion, Haslam moved the case to another court.

Once before the new trial court, Haslam stepped up the pressure with new motions. At the July 27, 2021, and August 9, 2021, evidentiary hearings, Haslam persuaded the trial court to dismiss Keila’s felony drug charge with prejudice, which means the State can never refile it. And…. all her court costs were waived.