Texas Kidnapping Attorneys

Kidnapping is a serious criminal charge which can lead to severe consequences if you are convicted. If you’ve been accused of kidnapping as part of a domestic violence scene, your freedom and future are at stake. You should not trust your case to anyone but a proven and experienced criminal defense lawyer.

That is what you will find at Deandra Grant Law serving clients in and around Collin County and northern Texas. Our firm is dedicated solely to criminal defense which has allowed us to hone our knowledge and skills in this practice area. With more than 25 years of dedicated experience, our lead attorney has garnered many national awards and distinctions, including being selected for inclusion in the Dallas Super Lawyers® list of 2011 and 2012.

Kidnapping Laws in Texas

Accusations of kidnapping can occur in situations where domestic violence has been alleged. This happens when one parent accuses another of taking a child in cases where the parents are in conflict, separated, or involved in a divorce or where one parent acts with the intent to assume lawful control of the child. To be found guilty of this offense, the prosecution must prove all points of any kidnapping charge as described under section 20.01 of the Texas Penal Code. Per this law, kidnapping involves unlawful restraint without consent which is committed by force, intimidation, or deception or by acquiescence if the victim is a child under the age of 14 or a child aged 14 up to 17 who is taken out of the state or outside a 120-mile radius of his or her home without permission of the child’s acting parent or guardian.

A kidnapping charge in Texas can lead to the following penalties:

• If charged as a third-degree felony: up to 10 years in state prison and fines up to $10,000
• If charged as a second-degree felony: up to 20 years in state prison and fines up to $10,000
• If charged as a first-degree felony: up to 99 years in state prison and fines up to $10,000

Aggravated kidnapping is also described under Texas law as intentionally or knowingly abducting a person with the intention to hold them for ransom, as a hostage, to terrorize the victim or another person, or to harm them physically or sexually. This crime is charged as a first-degree felony.

Seasoned Legal Representation

Kidnapping a child as part of a domestic problem is generally charged as a third degree felony which carries penalties of two to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000. In the face of such harsh consequences, work with an accomplished Texas kidnapping defense lawyer at our firm who has demonstrated competence in this field.