Jacob Anderson, a former fraternity president from Baylor University’s Phi Delta Theta, has entered a lenient plea deal in his ongoing sexual assault case. If Judge Ralph Strother accepts the plea deal, which includes a no contest plea to “unlawful restraint” but not any specific sex crime, then he would be only penalized with counseling, a $400 fine, and three years of deferred probation. After the plea deal was entered into the court, hundreds of Waco County locals have lobbied Judge Strother to reject it.
Among the protests being created through emails, social media posts, and direct phone calls to the Judge’s office, Attorney Vic Feazell of the Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. was the first to enter a protest on behalf of his client, one of Anderson’s accusers. In response to the protest, Attorney Feazell has been contacted by numerous major newsgroups, including CNN, CBS, and NBC. If the protests are successful in convincing Judge Strother, then he could choose to reject the plea deal, allow Anderson to withdraw the plea, and continue with the criminal case through traditional trial processes.
While Attorney Feazell will do everything he can to represent and uphold the best interests of his client, he is moving forward with careful insight. He has worked with Judge Strother many times throughout his extensive legal career and knows the Judge is not easily swayed by outside sources. As a former prosecutor and highly-experienced judge, Strother will likely reach the decision based on his own findings.
With that said, Attorney Feazell is cautiously optimistic about what may come next. He has shared that he is confident Judge Strother will make the right decision and follow accepted judicial procedures accordingly. Whether that means the plea deal will be accepted or rejected is largely unknown at this time.
At the legal counsel of Attorney Feazell, the plea hearing was not attended by his client or her family. He did advise they attend the upcoming sentencing hearing, however.
For more information about this ongoing, controversial case, you can click here to view a full article from the Waco Tribune-Herald, which features mentions of Attorney Feazell. You can also request a no-cost, confidential consultation from the Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. and our firm’s Austin personal injury attorneys by dialing at any time.