Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers

Collin County is one of the most active prosecution jurisdictions in North Texas. The District Attorney’s office handles cases from agencies across a large and growing county: McKinney PD, Allen PD, Plano PD, Frisco PD, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, DPS troopers, and the departments serving Fairview, Princeton, Wylie, Murphy, Sachse, Celina, and every other city in the county. Every felony and misdemeanor case, regardless of which agency made the arrest, is prosecuted by the Collin County DA’s office and heard at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building in McKinney.

Deandra Grant Law’s Allen office is at 1333 W. McDermott Drive, Suite 180 which is minutes from the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building at 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney, TX 75071, where your case will be heard.

Managing Partner Deandra Grant holds a Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Science, a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Toxicology, and the ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist designation. Partner Douglas Huff holds the same ACS-CHAL designation and has completed advanced digital forensics training. For federal matters in the Northern District of Texas, Of Counsel James Lee Bright brings more than 25 years of federal trial experience.

What Makes Collin County Criminal Defense Different

Collin County is a well-resourced, aggressive prosecution jurisdiction. Understanding what that means in practice:

A large, organized DA’s office.  The Collin County DA’s office has specialized prosecution units for DWI, family violence, sexual assault, and major crimes. These units are staffed by experienced prosecutors who handle high volumes of the same offense types. The defense has to match that specialization.

Collin County juries.  Collin County is known for juries that hold defendants to a high standard. Jurors in this county are educated, engaged, and attentive to scientific evidence. That cuts both ways: a technically weak prosecution case can be exposed, but a defense that relies on legal argument alone without scientific foundation is vulnerable.

The forensic science gap.  Most Collin County defense attorneys challenge evidence through legal arguments about procedure and admissibility. Deandra Grant Law challenges it through the science itself: the GC-FID methodology the DPS Garland lab used, the THCA conversion chemistry in drug cases, the partition ratio in breath testing, the chain of custody gap that created fermentation conditions in blood storage. That depth is what the ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist designation exists to provide.

The Science Behind the Evidence

• Blood alcohol testing: Collin County alcohol DWI blood draws typically go to the Texas DPS Crime Lab in Garland. GC-FID methodology, in vitro fermentation, sodium fluoride preservative adequacy, chain of custody, and analyst qualifications are all subject to independent forensic examination.
• Drug evidence: Drug specimens route to DPS Austin, Armstrong Forensic Laboratory, or NMS. Weight, identification methodology, and quantitation accuracy are challenged using the same analytical chemistry training that drives DWI blood evidence defense.
• Digital evidence: Fraud, cybercrime, online solicitation, sex offenses, theft — any case where the prosecution’s evidence is electronic. Doug Huff’s advanced digital forensics training means metadata, chain of custody, account authentication, and the completeness of records are better evaluated.
• Forensic pathology and injury evidence: In assault, aggravated assault, and homicide cases, whether an injury meets the legal definition of “serious bodily injury” is a medical and forensic question that the defense evaluates independently.
• DNA and biological evidence: SANE exam findings, touch DNA, and biological evidence are evaluated with the same forensic science foundation.

The Constitutional Foundation: Article 38.23

Every Collin County criminal defense begins with Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 38.23  which is the exclusionary rule with no good faith exception. An unlawful traffic stop on US-75, a defective search warrant, a consent search that exceeded its scope, a blood draw without proper authority: any of these suppresses the evidence derived from it. Suppression frequently ends the prosecution’s case.

Criminal Charges We Handle in Collin County

• Assault and Family Violence — from Class A misdemeanor bodily injury assault to first-degree felony aggravated assault, including the permanent consequences of the family violence affirmative finding: federal firearms prohibition, future enhancement, expunction bar, and child custody implications.
• Drug Possession and Delivery — all penalty groups, all quantities, including federal drug charges when DEA or HSI involvement elevates the case to the Eastern District.
• Theft, Robbery, and Fraud — shoplifting through first-degree robbery, organized retail theft, white-collar offenses, identity theft, and fraud cases where digital evidence is the prosecution’s foundation.
• Gun Crimes — UCW, felon in possession, weapons in prohibited places, NFA violations, and federal firearms charges.
• Sex Crimes — sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child, online solicitation of a minor, CSAM, and sex offender registration consequences. The category where forensic evidence and digital evidence challenges are most decisive.
• Murder and Homicide — capital murder, murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, including cases where forensic pathology, blood evidence, and accident reconstruction are central to the prosecution’s theory.
• Federal Criminal Defense — any offense charged in the Eastern District of Texas, including drug trafficking, firearms, fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. James Lee Bright handles federal defense.

Collin County Courts and Enforcement

Courthouse: Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney, TX 75071. Misdemeanor cases are heard in the County Courts at Law. Felony cases go to the District Courts.

Federal district: Collin County is in the Eastern District of Texas.

Enforcement Agencies in Collin County

• McKinney PD, Allen PD, Plano PD, Frisco PD
• Collin County Sheriff’s Office
• Texas DPS Troopers (US-75, US-380, Dallas North Tollway, Preston Road corridor)
• Fairview PD, Princeton PD, Wylie PD, Murphy PD, Sachse PD, Celina PD, and other municipal departments

Why Choose Deandra Grant Law for Collin County Criminal Defense

• Allen office minutes from the McKinney courthouse. 1333 W. McDermott Drive, Suite 180.
• 30+ years in Collin County courts. 500+ trials to verdict statewide.
• ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist — both Deandra Grant and Douglas Huff. 
• Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Science + Graduate Certificate in Forensic Toxicology. Science-based challenges to blood, breath, and drug evidence that go beyond legal argument.
• Trained SFST Instructor. 
• 17 published law books. Including The Texas DWI Manual.
• Texas Super Lawyer since 2011. AV® Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell®.
• Federal defense. James Lee Bright — Northern District of Texas.

If you or someone you love is facing criminal charges in Collin County, call (214) 225-7117 for a free, confidential consultation. Or schedule online at texasdwisite.com.

Talk to a Collin County Criminal Defense Attorney Before You Do Anything Else

The decisions made in the first hours after an arrest (what to say to law enforcement, whether to cooperate with investigators, what to do about bond conditions) can shape the entire trajectory of the case. Before any of those decisions are made, speak with an attorney.

Deandra Grant Law’s Allen office at 1333 W. McDermott Drive, Suite 180 is minutes from the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney. We have appeared in Collin County courts for more than 30 years, across more than 500 trials to verdict.

Call (214) 225-7117 for a confidential consultation.