The Challenge
A high school teacher was accused of exchanging hundreds of sexual text messages with a student and was arrested and charged under Penal Code 288.3 — contacting a minor with intent to commit a specified felony. Section 288.3 is a felony that, at the time, carried mandatory lifetime sex offender registration on conviction. Registration would also have meant automatic revocation of her teaching credential by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The charge turns on proof of intent to commit a further felony — not merely on the content of the messages — and that element became the center of the defense.
Our Strategy
With the assistance of a forensic psychologist, we presented evidence to the prosecutor demonstrating mitigating circumstances and the teacher’s lack of prior criminal history. As a result, the prosecution agreed to amend the charge to an offense that does not require sex offender registration. Additionally, we successfully negotiated a sentence of house arrest instead of jail time, allowing our client to remain in the community.
Media Coverage
The Result
CHARGE AMENDED — NO SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION
Your Case Belongs at the Southwest Justice Center.
Your Defense Belongs Here.
If you were arrested in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Winchester, or French Valley, your future will likely be decided at the Southwest Justice Center (SWJC) on Auld Road. In these courtrooms, local knowledge is the ultimate advantage. Since 1999, Nic Cocis has been a weekly fixture in the SWJC, appearing before the same judges and negotiating with the same Riverside County prosecutors for over 25 years. We don’t just know the law — we know the specific nuances, procedural quirks, and judicial tendencies of the Southwest District. Whether you are facing a felony or a misdemeanor, you need a firm that treats the Southwest Justice Center as its home turf.
