CHAPPELL, LANEHART & STANGL

Case Dismissed for Gaines County Residents Charged with Possession of THC

THC

Today, Chuck Lanehart negotiated dismissals in drug cases involving four young Gaines County residents. The clients, all under the age of 21, were arrested last year for felony possession of THC and Class A misdemeanor possession of marijuana, along with possession of drug paraphernalia charges. Because of unreasonable delay in presenting the charges to the…

Posted on:

Recent Results for Fred Stangl

Lubbock courthouse

Assault Case Dismissed On March 1st, Fred Stangl’s case was dismissed for the charge: Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. The client was accused of striking his wife with a motorized vehicle. Stangl maintained the incident was an accident and that she put herself in harm’s way. The client is not a U.S. citizen, but…

Posted on:

Caprock Chronicle: Restoring Historic Lynn County Courthouse

lynn courthouse
The Lynn County Courthouse near the center of Tahoka, TX is in dire need of restoration. Fortunately, the building which is included in the National Register of Historical Places will finally get the remodel it deserves. Chuck Lanehart uncovers the grandeur of one of the tallest buildings in the county in this week's Caprock Chronicle.…

Posted on:

Fred Stangl Earns Dismissal for Client Charged with Felony Theft

Fred Stangl secured a dismissal on a felony theft charge, a first-degree offense for which his client faced a possible life sentence. Stangl's client was accused of embezzling more than $400,000 from her employer over a four-year period. Judgement After more than three years of investigation, litigation, evidentiary hearings and trial preparation, the prosecutor finally…

Posted on:

Caprock Chronicles: Temple Houston

Placard near courthouse depicting biographical information about Temple Lea Houston
Chuck Lanehart uncovers the origin story of Temple Houston in this week's Caprock Chronicles. Famous by name at an early age, the son of Sam Houston became the youngest licensed lawyer in Texas in 1880. Moving out to the Panhandle, Temple transformed into the legendary "prairie dog lawyer" defending pioneers in Texas and Oklahoma of…

Posted on:

Nuts & Bolts Criminal Law Seminar

Chuck Lanehart and Fred Stangl standing together at Law Seminar
Today, Chuck Lanehart and Fred Stangl gave presentations to lawyers and law students attending the Nuts & Bolts Criminal Law Seminar at Texas Tech University School of Law in Lubbock. Fred spoke on the subject of "What's Up Front Counts: Pretrial Motions." Chuck spoke on "Why We Do What We Do: Ethics." The seminar, presented…

Posted on:

Client’s Murder Charge Successfully Appealed

Texas Judicial Branch

Case Background On July 4th, 2015 in Brownfield, TX, the defendant was pulled over by police and charged with murder of Christavian Jerrod Baker. However, police failed to properly interrogate the defendant and all rights were not read. Once arrested, Fred Stangl worked with the defendant to suppress statements to the police. The Terry County…

Posted on:

One of the Most Infamous Murder Cases in Lubbock History

Portrait of Benjamin Lach
In December of 1967, a gruesome murder occurred in the Texas Tech Science Building. The victim was a university custodian. The prime suspect? A graduate student, Benjamin Lach. The motive? Lach was accused of being confronted by the custodian in an effort to steal test answers. The charge? "Murder with Malice", which was a capital…

Posted on:

Pretrial Diversion Secured in Domestic Violence case

On December 13, Chuck Lanehart successfully negotiated a pretrial diversion in an assault domestic violence case. A conviction would mean the client would never be allowed to lawfully possess a weapon. A conviction would also mean the client would be ineligible to maintain primary custody of children. Instead, after successfully completing six months of good…

Posted on:

Felony Burglary Win

Today, Chuck Lanehart negotiated a plea deal in a second-degree felony burglary of a habitation case that was scheduled for jury trial. The client was facing a possible 20-year prison sentence. Instead, the prosecutor accepted Chuck’s counter-offer for a one-year deferred probation on a misdemeanor criminal trespass plea. The client will be eligible for an…

Posted on: