Man found not-guilty in assault/family violence case

A not-guilty verdict was reached in under twenty minutes in an assault family violence case recently tried to a jury in the Nacogdoches County Court at Law, according to John Boundy, criminal defense lawyer.

The defendant, Sedrick Horton was accused of striking a woman, the complaining witness, who is the daughter of his ex-girlfriend, Nitra Mack.

The jury heard from two officers of the Nacogdoches Police Department who had responded to the call. They also heard from the 911 emergency dispatcher, the complaining witness, Ms. Mack and an eye-witness. The testimony showed the complaining witness, a seventeen year old, had stayed out hours after her curfew. Mack called the defendant to help look for the missing teen. After returning home around 3 a.m., an argument between mother and daughter began resulting in the mother slapping the complaining witness in the face. Each witness to the incident agreed the defendant had stepped between the two to stop any further violence. A struggle between the defendant and complaining witness ensued.

The complaining witness had signs of physical contact and told police the defendant had physically restrained her and he was arrested and charged with Class “A” assault, a charge which can lead up to a year in jail and a fine of $4,000.

In closing arguments, Boundy told the jury this was a case of ‘no good deed goes unpunished.’ He summarized the evidence as saying the defendant had been called into a situation and then forced to react when things turned sour.

After closing statements from both the State and Defense, Judge Sinz gave the jurors instructions including the legal doctrine for use of force in defense of another. After re-listening to the 911-dispatch tape, the jury quickly returned the not guilty verdict and Horton was acquitted of all charges.