When someone from Texas is charged with a drug-related offense, he or she may not understand the potential upset it might cause within his or her life. Those who are convicted of drug crimes could have trouble maintaining current employment or even finding a new position. This is not to mention what might happen to a person who is convicted — he or she could be sentenced to prison or have to pay a high fine and/or other penalties. This is the problem of one Texas man who works as a reporter for an ABC affiliate and is now facing drug charges.
According to local police, the reporter was arrested after recently being found to have marijuana and drug paraphernalia on his person. Police have not disclosed the precise events that led to the reporter’s arrest or how much marijuana he allegedly possessed. He was booked into a local jail, and his bail has been set.
The station where he currently works did not offer any comment, simply saying that it was a personnel issue. The reporter has worked at numerous stations around Texas as an investigative reporter, in addition to anchoring at other stations around the nation. There is no word on whether his current workplace will continue to allow him to work there.
Prosecutors who work on this case will use any plausible evidence they collect in an attempt to obtain a conviction. Despite that, the reporter is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, just as it is for anyone charged with drug crimes or other criminal offenses. It may be helpful for him to seek assistance in understanding the laws and local procedures that encompass the particular crimes he is accused of, in the hopes of preparing the best defense possible that could mean other acquittal or other favorable result.
Source: mediabistro.com, “Texas Reporter Arrested on Drug Charges“, Mark Joyella, Aug. 12, 2014