Charged With Indecency With a Child by Contact in Texas? Get a Clear Defense Review Now

Indecency With a Child by Contact Defense Lawyer in Texas

If you need an indecency with a child by contact defense lawyer in Texas, start by knowing the charge. Contact-based indecency with a child is a second-degree felony under Texas law. This page explains what the state must prove, what a defense review covers, and how the first steps work. Barbieri Law Firm is a Frisco, Texas criminal defense firm. It defends professionals accused of sex crimes and assaultive offenses in Collin County, Dallas-Fort Worth, and across Texas.

What Indecency with a Child by Contact Means Under Texas Law

Indecency with a child by contact is sexual contact with a child younger than 17, committed with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person. The offense is defined in Texas Penal Code § 21.11.

Under Texas Penal Code § 21.11, a person commits an offense if, with a child younger than 17 years of age, the person engages in sexual contact with the child or causes the child to engage in sexual contact. It applies whether or not the person knows the child’s age.

Sexual contact means touching the anus, breast, or any part of the genitals of a child, including through clothing. The touching must be done with intent to arouse or gratify sexual desire. The statute also covers touching any part of the child’s body with the accused person’s anus, breast, or genitals, under the same intent rule.

Know which grade you face. Contact is a second-degree felony. Exposure, under subsection (a)(2), is a third-degree felony. A second-degree felony carries 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Intent is often the central question. The state must prove the touching was done for sexual purposes. A defense review tests that element against the actual facts.

Who This Defense Is For

This defense is for adults accused of contact-based indecency with a child, especially those whose work or volunteer role involves minors.

• Teachers and school employees facing a campus or police investigation.
• Coaches and youth activity volunteers.
• Medical and other licensed professionals whose license is at stake.
• Families trying to understand how the charge will affect a loved one’s job, license, and bond conditions.

Some people face more than one track at once. A police case, a school district inquiry, and a Child Protective Services case can run at the same time. What is said in one can matter in another, so timing needs review early.

Different facts can lead to different charges, so the charge needs review first. For how these cases are built, read our guide on Texas child sex crime charges.

What the Defense Review Covers

A defense review checks the charge, the child’s account, the recordings, and the intent element.

• The charging papers, the probable cause affidavit, and the alleged date, place, and time window.
• The child’s outcry and any forensic interview recording. Professional guidance from OJJDP on child forensic interviews calls for open-ended questions and avoids repeated questioning of the child. The review checks how the interview was done.
• School, employer, and child protective records that bear on the timeline.
• Witness statements about the alleged conduct and its context.
• Bond conditions and no-contact orders.
• Plea options, pretrial motions, and trial preparation.

The statute also sets out the affirmative defenses. One covers an accused person who was not more than three years older than the child, of the opposite sex, who used no duress, force, or threat, and who meets the registration conditions the statute lists. Another covers a child who was the accused person’s spouse at the time. The defense review checks whether either applies.

How the Process Works, Step by Step

The process starts with a consultation, then a review of your case papers.

1. Initial consultation. The first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation to continue. You describe the situation, and we explain the charge in plain terms.
2. Send case details. Bring or send the arrest or charging papers, bond paperwork, and any letters or notices you have received.
3. Evidence review. Heather Barbieri examines the statements, recordings, and records, and notes gaps and open questions.
4. Options meeting. We explain the realistic paths and the decisions you will need to make.
5. Representation. We handle bond, pretrial hearings, negotiation, and trial preparation, and keep you informed at each stage.

Timing depends on the court’s schedule, so we explain expected stages once the charge is confirmed. Deferred adjudication community supervision is one option a court may consider. The judge makes that decision, not the lawyer.

Why Barbieri Law Firm for an Accused Professional

Barbieri Law Firm is a Frisco, Texas criminal defense firm. It handles sex crimes and assaultive offenses for accused professionals.

Heather Jean Barbieri, Board Certified, Criminal Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization, leads the firm.

The firm is all-women. Our team includes assistants and office staff who help keep scheduling, records, and deadlines organized. The firm defends professionals across Collin County, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Texas.

Losing a job, a license, or standing in a community can happen before any trial starts. We start with those concerns in the first consultation, alongside the charge itself.

Common Questions About This Charge

Most of these answers depend on the facts and the court, so they stay general.

Protecting Your Case While It Is Pending

Keep away from the child and the child’s family, and keep your words off social media. These steps protect your case while it is pending.

• Do not contact the child or the child’s family, directly or through others.
• Do not post about the case, the allegations, or the child on social media or in messages.
• Follow every bond condition and no-contact order exactly.
• Do not give statements to police, school officials, or investigators before you speak with a lawyer.
• Keep all paperwork, bond papers, and court notices in one place.
• Write your own timeline while memory is fresh, and mark it for your lawyer.

Breaking a bond condition or court order can be a separate crime. Texas Penal Code § 25.07 covers certain court-order and bond violations in family violence, sexual assault, and related cases.

Talk With Heather Barbieri About Your Charge

If you need an indecency with a child by contact defense lawyer, a conversation about your facts is the next step. Your job, your license, and your family may all be on the line. You don’t have to sort that out alone. Call (972) 424-1902 or send us your case details to start the conversation.

Attorney responsible for this site: Heather Jean Barbieri, Barbieri Law Firm, Frisco, Texas.