Several plea deals populated the 451stDistrict Court earlier this month during a final pretrial docket for felony cases pending in the district.
A 21-year-old father of two, Cain Arroyo, initially was charged with a state jail felony for engaging in organized criminal activity, but his defense attorney managed to plead him down to a misdemeanor charge.
Arroyo arrived in the courtroom with a partner and an infant, who 451stDistrict Court Judge Kirsten Cohoon couldn’t help but ask to be brought to the bench for introductions.
After several hours of waiting for his defense attorney to arrive, who was held up in court in Kerr County, Arroyo pleaded guilty to two Class A misdemeanors and was sentenced to no jail time. He was issued two $500 fines and $279 in court costs, but Cohoon waived the fines and fees when Arroyo said he couldn’t afford the costs.
“Mr. Arroyo, you now have two children, and you’re just now 21,” Cohoon said. “You have lots of responsibility in front of you. Being here and wasting your time being here in front of my court is not a very good use of your time. A good use of your time would be to get a job and provide for your children. … Let’s see if you can now do an excellent job for yourself. Take care of those kids. They’re very cute.”
Oscar Olivares pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony of sexual contact with a child and was sentenced to 15 years in state prison with judicial notice of the 437 days he had already served in the Kendall County Jail. Olivares was facing three charges, including solicitation of a minor and prostitution of a person under 18 years of age, but the charges were consolidated as part of his plea deal.
Cohoon warned Olivares that he will be presented with several life choices when he gets out of prison and encouraged him to take advantage of courses at TCDJ so he doesn’t end up back before her bench.
“When you get out, you will continue to have to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life,” Cohoon said while informing Olivares of faith-based organizations that can help him through the consequences of that lifelong registration.
Jessica Huerta was set to face three charges, including two felonies, but a plea deal with the state left her sentenced to four years on probation and no jail time should she meet the probation requirements. Huerta had two third-degree felony charges for harassment of a public servant and possession of more than a gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance. However, the possession charge was dismissed, and Huerta was sentenced to 10 years probated for four years.
Just as the court was ready to plead another case, it was clear an interpreter would be needed for a Spanish-speaking defendant, Jesus Estrada-Compuzano, who was facing a third-degree felony for possessing more than a gram of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance.
Once an interpreter was tracked down and called in last minute, Estrada-Compuzano was sentenced to two years in state prison with judicial notice of the 291 days he already served in the county jail. It was made known during the plea agreement that Estrada-Compuzano was not a United States citizen and had a federal case pending at the time.
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