## COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

PD – _________ – 15
DAVID LEE VICTORICK, Appellant

vs. STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
On Discretionary Review from No. 09-14-00190-CR

Ninth Court of Appeals, Beaumont Appealed From Trial Court No. 13-11-12323-CR 435 TH Judicial District Court, Montgomery County 

## Motion To Extend Time To File Petition For Discretionary Review

L.T. “Butch” Bradt #02841600 14015 Southwest Freeway, Suite 4 Sugar Land, Texas 77478-3550 (281) 201-0700 Fax: (281) 201-1202 ltbradt@flash.net Attorney for Appellant, David Lee Victorick

1 PD-0030-15 COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

AUSTIN, TEXAS Transmitted 1/5/2015 3:52:46 PM Accepted 1/14/2015 5:43:36 PM

ABEL ACOSTA CLERKTo The Honorab le J udg e s of the Te xas Court of Criminal Ap p e als :

D avid L e e Victorick , Ap p e llant, for g ood caus e, move s for an e xte ns ion of time of 31 d ay s 1 to file a p e tition for dis cre tionary re vie w and s hows :
1. O n D e ce mb e r 10 , 20 14, the N inth Court of A p p eals affirme d t h e Ap p e llant’ s conviction. S e e D a v i d Lee Vic t oric k v . St at e of Texas , D ock e t N o. 0 9 - 14- 0 0 190 -CR, D e ce mb e r 10 , 20 14. A cop y of the judg me nt and
op inion is attache d to this Motion. As t he Court can s e e , t h e N inth Court of Ap p e als als o dis pos ed of Ap p e llant’ s ap p e al i n Dock e t N o. 09- 14- 0 0 112- CR at the s ame time

. While re late d, that ap p e al mus t b e addre s s e d s e p arate ly

.
2. As Ap p e llant did n ot file a motion for re he aring , his Pe tition for
D is cre tionary

Re vie w is due to b e file d on J anuary 9, 20 14. 3 . On D e ce mb e r 11, 20 14, co u n s e l r e p re s e nte d J uan M edina in the
3 0 8 T H Judicial Dis trict Court of H arris County in Caus e N o. 20 14- 0 170 3 - J , I n
t he I nt erest o f L. M. and J

. M.

. This was a te rmination of p are ntal rig hts
p roce e ding whe re in CPS was s e e k ing to te rminate Mr. Me dina’ s p are ntal rig hts

. A t the conclus ion of the trial, M r. Me dina’ s p are ntal r ig h t s we re not
te rminate d.
4. Couns e l ’ s office was clos e d D e ce mb e r 24 – 2 6, 20 14, for

1 T h e 3 0 T H d ay i s a Su n d ay , t h erefo re Ap pel l an t req u es t s un t i l t h e fo l l o w i n g M o n d ay , t h e 3 1 S T d ay
. 2C h r i s t mas . Couns e l’ s office was clos e d from noon D e ce mb e r 3 1 thro u g h

J anuary 2, 20 15 , for N e w Ye ars . 5 . I n addition to the fore g oing , couns e l was in trial on D e ce mb e r 2 9,

20 14, i n the 212 T H J udicial D is trict Court of G alve s ton County , T e x a s , in
D ock e t N o. 12- CV- 0 0 26, Sp ears v . J o hn son . I n addition to a day -long trial, the re was the u s ual time s p e nt t he p re ce ding we e k p re p aring for trial,

cons ulting with witne ss e s , p re p aring e xhib it lis ts , e tc.
. 6. Couns e l als o had to p re p are and file a motion for re he aring of the de nial of a Pe tition for Re vie w in the Te xas Sup re me Court in D ock e t N o. 14-

0 562, O lga d e la C

erd a C abrera, et al v . P

alisad es C

ollec t ion , LLC

, et al

. The Pe tition for Re vie w was de nie d on D e c e mb e r 19, 20 14 s o the Motion for Re he aring had to b e file d on or b e fore J anuary 5 , 20 15 . 7. I n addition to the fore g oing , Couns e l has had to re s earch and
p re p are a Pe tition for Writ of M a ndamus to the Unite d S tate s Fifth Circuit Court of Ap p e als as ag ains t the Honorab le Sam L i nds ay , U. S

. D i s t rict J udg e,

re lating to an orde r s ig ne d b y J udg e L inds ay in D ock e t N o. 0 3 - 0 7- 20 20 - CV. This mandamus will b e file d the we e k of J anuary

5 , 20 15 . 8

. On D e ce mb e r 29, 20 14, the Fifth Court of Ap p e als is s ue d its majority op inion and dis s e nting op inion in D ock e t Nos

. 0 5 - 13 - 0 0 421- CR, 0 5 -

313 - 0 0 423 - CR, 05 - 13 - 0 0 424- CR and 0 5 - 13 - 0 0425 - CR, St at e o f T exas v . A lbert G . Hill, I

I I

. U n d e rs ig ne d couns e l s p e nt a g ood p ortion of t he day , D e ce mb e r 3 0 , 2 0 14, re s e arching the op inions and the dis s e nts and dis cus sing with co- couns e l whe the r to move fo r r e h e a r i ng , or re he aring e n b anc at the
D allas Court of A

p p e als or whe th er to p roce e d dire ctly to this Honorab le Court b y way of Pe t ition for D is cre tionary Re vie w. 9. And couns e l is in the p r o c e s s of finalizing a Pe tition for Writ of Ce rtiorari to the Un i t ed S tate s S up re me Court in the cas e of D av id Lee Vic toric k v . St at e of Texas , which re s ults from the de ni a l o f M r. Victorick ’ s Pe tition for D is cre tionary Re vie w to this Court in D ock e t N o. PD

0 80 7- 14. As the Pe tition for D is cre tionary Re vie w was de nie d on Octob e r 15 ,
20 14, the Pe tition for Writ of Ce rtiorari mus t b e file d with the S up re me Court

on or b efore J an u a r y 1 3 , 20 15 . As t he Pe t ition is b eing p rinte d, it mus t b e finalize d and g ive n to the p rinte r no late r than J anuary 8 , 20 15 .
10 . Couns e l is als o s e t for trial on the two- we e k dock e t b e g i n n i n g J anuary 5 , 20 15 , i n Caus e N o. 20 0 8

- 17249, B o okmark L i t igat ion Serv ic es v s. Robert H in sley & A ssoc iat es , p ending in the 1 64 T H J udicial
D is trict Court of H a r ris County

. D ue to the ag e of the cas e , t he court coordinator has advis e d that the cas e will b e going to trial on this dock e t. The

4trial is a jury trial and is e xp e cte d to las t 3 – 4 day s.
11. Althoug h t he N inth Court of Ap p e als o n l y i s s ue d one op inion, it dis p os e d of D ock e t N os . 0 9- 14- 0 0 112- CR and 0 9- 14- 0 0 1 90 -CR in that s ing le
op inion. While the is s ue s in the writ of hab e as corp us are re late d to the dire ct
ap p e al of Ap p e llant’ s conviction , the y are dis tinct and this re quire s that two

s e p arate Pe titions for Dis cre tionary Re vie w b e file d with t his Honorab le Court.

12. Be caus e of the fore g oing , couns e l for D avid L e e Victorick has not

e ve n b e e n ab le to b e g in work ing on the t wo Pe titions for D is cre tionary Re vie w th a t h e mus t file with this Court on b e half of Mr. Victorick

. And, at the

e arlie s t , it will b e the we e k of J anuary 12, 20 15 , b efore he is ab le to b e g in this work

. WHEREFORE, PREMI S ES CON S ID ERED , Ap p ellant, D avid L e e Victorick , re que s ts t h e C o u rt to g rant him an e xte ns ion of 3 1 day s , until Fe b ruary 9, 20 1 5 , in which to file his P e tition for D is cre t ionary Re vie w he re in. Ap p e llant p ray s for g e ne ral re lie f. Re s p e ctfully s ub mitte d, L

. T. BRAD T, P. C. By : /s / L .T. B radt L

. T. “Butch” Bradt #0 28 4160 0 140 15 S outhwe s t Fre eway , S uite 4

5S ug ar L and, Te xas 77478

- 3 5 5 0 (28 1) 20 1- 0 70 0 Fax: (28 1) 20 1- 120 2 ltb radt@ flas h. ne t Attorne y for Ap p e llant, D avid L e e Victorick

C ERTIF I C

A TE O F SERVIC E I , the unde rs ig ne d attorne y , ce rtify that a t r u e and corre ct cop y of the fore g oing p le ading was faxe d to: Honorab le Bre tt L i g on, D is trict Attorne y William J

. D e lmore , I I I , As s ’ t D is trict Attorne y J e ff Hohl, As s’ t D i s trict Attorne y 20 7 W. Phillip s , 2nd Floor Conroe , Te xas 773 01 Fax: 93 6- 760 -6940 E- mail: bill. de lmore @mctx. org on J anuary

5 , 20 15 . /s / L

. T. Bradt

L

. T. Bradt

61 In The 

### Court of Appeals Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont

____________________ NO . 09
- 1 4
- 00 112
- C R NO. 09
- 14
- 00190
- CR



### ____________________ EX PARTE DAVID LEE VICTORICK
and
DAVID LEE VICTORICK , Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS , Appellee

_______________________________________________________ ______________ On A ppeal from the 435th District Court Montgomery County, Texas Trial Cause No . 13
- 11
- 12323 CR

________________________________________________________ _____________ OPINION
Th is matter involves two appeals filed by David Lee Victorick relating to his indictment and subsequent conviction for online solicitation of a minor. 1 See Tex.

1 We have considered three related matters filed by Victorick . Initially , we dismissed a petition for a writ of mandamus wherein Victorick sought to compel the presiding administrative judge to grant Victorick’s motion to recuse the trial2 Penal Code Ann. § 33.021 (c) (West 2011). On March 7, 2014, the trial court denied Victorick’s pre - trial application for writ of habeas corpus asserting a claim of double jeopardy . Victorick filed a notice of appeal and requested that his trial be stayed pending the resolution of Appeal N o. 09

- 14

- 00112

- CR, but this Court denied the motio n to stay . Victorick was tried, convicted, and sentenced to five years of imprisonment. Victorick filed a notice of appeal of the final judgment, docketed in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00190

- CR. We affirm the order denying the application for a writ of habeas corpus and the judgment of conviction.
I SSUES Victorick presents two issues in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00112

- CR (the pre - trial request for habeas relief) . First, he contends a bond order that issued after his arrest

judge. See In re Victorick , No. 09

- 13

- 00483

- CR, 2013 WL 5969469, at *1 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont Nov. 6, 2013, orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not designat ed for publication). Next, we denied a petition for a writ of mandamus and prohibition filed by Victorick to compel the trial court to stay the trial pending the resolution of his appeal of the trial court’s denial of a pre

- trial habeas application challen ging the facial constitutionality of the statute creating the offense for which he was indicted. See In re Victorick , No. 09

- 13

- 00550

- CR, 2013 WL 688 5 130, at *1 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont Dec. 30 , 2013, orig. proceeding, [leave denied]) (mem. op., not designated for publication). Finally, we affirmed the trial court’s denial of Victorick’s facial challenge to the constitutionality of Texas Penal Code section 33.021(c)

. See Ex parte Victorick , No. 09

- 13

- 00551

- CR, 2014 WL 2152129, at *1 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont May 21, 2 014, pet. ref’d) (mem. op., not designated for publication). In the habeas appeal now before us , we granted Victorick’s motion to take judicial notice of the clerk’s record filed in Appeal No. 09

- 13

- 00551

- CR. See Turner v. State , 733 S.W.2d 218, 223 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987).3 on a previous indictment , which did not go to trial , constitutes punishment under the Fifth Amendment’s Double Jeopardy Clause because the bond contained oppressiv e and onerous conditions that infringed upon his constitutional rights

. Second, Victorick contends the oppressive and onerous conditions of his pr e - trial bond on the indictment under which he was tried constitute punishment for double j eopardy purposes. In a motion to dismiss and with a suggestion of mootness , the
State argues that Victorick’s conviction mooted the appeal of the denial of pre - trial habeas relief

. Victorick presents three issues in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 0019 0

- CR (appeal of his conviction) . First, he challenges the legal sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction. Se cond, he contends he was deprived of an impartial magistrate. Third, Victorick contends the procedural rules that apply to recusal proceedings deprived him of due process because the rules do not provide for an interlocutory appeal.
I NDICTMENT AND C ONVICTION The State initially indicted Victorick for online solicitation of a minor under subsection (b)(1) of section 33.021 of the Penal Code. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021. After subsection (b)(1) was found to be unconstitutional by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Ex parte Lo , Victorick was re

- indicted under subsection (c) of section 33.021 for knowingly soliciting a fifteen year old girl to meet him with the intent that she engage in sexual con tact, sexual intercourse, or4 deviate sexual intercourse with him

. See 424 S.W.3d 10 , 27 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013)

. Victorick enter ed a not gu ilty plea and a jury found the appellant guilty as charged, and assessed his punishment at imprisonment for five years

. M OOTNESS Before we address Victorick’s appellate issues we consider the State’s argument that Victorick’s appeal of the denial of the pre

- trial request for habeas relief is moot. As a general rule, a habeas appeal relating to pre

- trial bail is mooted by the subsequent conviction of the defendant because upon his conviction the habeas applicant is no longer being subjected to pre

- trial confinement. See e.g., Martinez v. State , 826 S .W.2d 620, 620 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992). Unlike a habeas claim concer ning pre

- trial bail in which the applicant seeks relief from an unconstitutional pre

- trial confinement, if he is correct regarding his double jeopardy argument, Victorick may be entitled to relief from the sentence imposed in the judgment of conviction that has also been appealed to this Court . Therefore, Victorick’s pre - trial request for habeas relief i s not necessarily mooted by his conviction.
D OUBLE J EOPARDY C LAIM The indictment accusing Victorick of online solicitation of a minor under section 33.021(c) of the Texas Penal Code alleged, in part, that Victorick, on or about June 2, 2013 , did “knowingly solicit by text message, K.E., a minor, to meet5 the defendant, wi th the intent that K.E. would engage in sexual contact and sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse with the defendant[.]” After indictment, Victorick filed an application for writ of habeas corpus in which he alleged that he was being illegally c onfined because “[t]he Court has set conditions of bond that are not only oppressive, they have denied him constitutionally

- guaranteed rights. ” Victorick alleged that “ Double Jeopardy forbids his trial on the present indictment.” Victorick’s petition for habeas relief contends that subjecting him to a trial and potential conviction and sentence for a second degree felony would violate the Double Jeopardy Clause’s prohibitions against multiple punishments because he had already been subjected to punishm ent within the scope of the Double Jeopardy Clause by conditions of his bond that prohibit ed him from: (1) possessing any firearms; (2) contacting the alleged victim’s family; (3) going within 100 yards of the residence of the alleged victim; (4) contactin g any child under seventeen years of age; or (5) having any contact with any computer or internet connection. Victorick a rgues that the conditions of his bond effectively denied him his right to bear arms, to associate with his wife , to attend church, to

m ove about freely and peaceably in public places , and to work

. No evidence was offered in the pre - trial habeas hearing. T he trial court denied the application. The Fifth Amendment st ates that “[n]o person shall . . . be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. . . .” U.S. C ONST
.6 amend. V . Victorick argues that placing him on bond under conditions that he contends are oppressive and onerous constitutes punishment for F ifth Amendment double j eopardy p urposes. Citing United States v. Jorn , Victorick contends that judicial overreaching triggers double jeopardy protections. See 400 U.S. 470, 483

- 84 (1971) (plurality op.)

. Jorn held the Double Jeopardy Clause barred a re

- trial after the trial court sua sponte discharged the jury without manifest necessity for calling a mistrial and without considering granting a continuance. Id. at 487. Jorn was a successive prosecution case in w hich jeopardy attached with the seating of the jury in the first trial and terminated when the trial court discharged th e jury; jeopardy would attach a second time with the seating of a new jury, thereby implicating the Fifth Amendment’s protection against successive prosecution. See id. at 484. Victorick argues the trial court erred in failing to apply th e Jorn successive prosecution concept , notwithstanding the fact that jeopardy attached only once in his case. Victorick contends without citing any authority that by referring to the complaining witness as the “victim” in the order setting conditions of bond, the trial court determined that he had committed a crime and the entry of the order functioned as an adjudication of guilt. The law of this state is well settled that with respect to a jury trial , je opardy attaches when the jury is empaneled and sworn , and for a bench trial jeopardy attaches when the defendant pleads to the charging7 instrument. See Ortiz v. State , 933 S.W.2d 10 2, 105 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996) ( The constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy does not apply until the defendant enters a plea before the trier of facts. ). Jeopardy does not attach in a preliminary hearing regardless of what facts may be determined during the proceeding. See id. Nevertheless, w hen the defendant has been subjected to a single trial, “ t he Double Jeopardy Clause ‘ prevent[s] the sentencing court from prescribing greater punishment than the legislature intended. ’” Ervin v. State , 991 S.W.2d 804, 807 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999) (quoting Missouri v. Hunter , 459 U.S. 359, 366 (1 983) ). Factors considered in determining legislative intent include whether two provisions imposing separate punishment s are contained within the same statutory section, whether the y a re phrased in the alternative, whether the y are named similarly, whether the y have common punishment ranges, whether the y ha ve a common focus or gravamen, and whether that common focus tends to indicate a single instance of conduct, whether the elements that differ between the m can be considered the same under an imputed theory of liability which would result in the offenses being considered the same under the Blockburger test , and whether there is legislative history articulating an interest to treat the offenses as the same or different for double jeopardy purposes

. Ervin , 991 S.W.2d at 814 (citing Blockburger v. United States , 284 U.S. 299, 304 (1932) )

.8 The State cites cases from other jurisdictions, which hold that conditional
pre - trial release cannot be considered punishment for purposes of the Double Jeopardy Clause because it serves a remedial rather than a punitive purpose and a bond condition is not based on a determination of guilt. See State v. Torres , 890 So.2d 292, 296 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2d Dist. 2004) (conditions of pre

- trial release requiring accused to attend sex offender treatment were not punitive and double jeopardy did not attach) ; accor d Parent v. State , 900 So.2d 598, 599

- 600 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2d Dist. 2004) (special conditions placed on pre

- trial release of DUI defendant did not ba r further prosecution under the double jeopardy clause); Halikipoulos v. Dill i on , 139 F.Supp.2d 312 (E. D.N.Y. 2001) ( pre - trial release condition requiring defendant to attend “stoplift” counseling program did not constitute punishment and court rejected double jeopardy argument)

. While not binding on this Court, the cases are instructive of the result reached in other jurisdictions. In Texas, the Code of Criminal Procedure provides rules for fixing the amount of the bond and the conditions of bond. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. arts

. 17.15 (West 2005) , 17.40 (West Supp. 2014 ). “ T he bail shall be sufficiently high to give reasonable assurance that the undertaking will be complied with.” Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 17.15. In setting the amount of the bond, “[t]he power to require b ail is not to be used as to make it an instrument of oppression.” Id. The9 magistrate considers “ [ t ] he nature of the offense and the circumstances under which it was committed” and also considers “[t]he future safety of a victim of the alleged offense and t he community. . . .” Id

. In Texas, “a magistrate may impose any reasonable condition of bond related to the safety of a victim of the alleged offense or to the safety of the community.” Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 17.40. Unlike the criminal offense of online solicitation of a minor that is contained within the Penal Code, the statute s that authorize a trial court to fix bail pending trial and to impose conditions on a defendant’s pre

- trial release on bail function to ensure the defendant’s appearance at trial and to protect the community without requiring a finding of guilt. Compare Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art s . 17.15, 17.40, with Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021(c). We conclude that the clear intent of the Legislature as demonstrated in the plain language contained in articles 17.15 and 17.40 was to permit a trial court to set reasonable conditions of bond as a requirement for pre

- trial release and then to impose the penalty set out in the Penal Code for the offense if the defendant is later tried and convicted. See Ervin , 991 S.W.2d at 814. Victorick argues that in his case, the trial court failed to follow the rules established by articles 17.15 and 17.40 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and that the tr ial court imposed unreasonable conditions of bond. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. arts. 17.15, 17.40. He a rgues that the conditions impacted his10 freedoms as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to such a degree that he has been punished before trial for the acts alleged in the indictment. T he proper method to challenge a punitive bail condition is by filing either a motion to reduce bail or an application for a writ of habeas corpus for a bail reduction

. See Stack v. Boyle , 342 U.S. 1, 6 (1951) ( t he proper procedure for challenging bail as unlawfully fixed is by m otion for reduction of bail ) ; Ex parte Young , 257 S.W.3d 276, 2 78 (Tex. App.

— Beaumont 2008, no pet.) ( the accused may challenge the conditions attached to bail through a pre

- trial writ of hab eas corpus ). Victorick petitioned for pre

- trial habeas relief, but he sought only relief from the indictment and did not seek habeas relief from the order setting ancillary conditions of bond. Furthermore, he submitted no evidence regarding the oppressive nature of the co nditions of bond. Duri ng the hearing on his pre

- trial habeas petition , the State argued that the bond conditions were reasonable because they related to safety of the victim and the community. Considering that the indictment accused Victori ck of online solicitation of a member of his household, and the use of a computer, electronic or texting device, the trial court reasonably could have determined that temporarily prohibiting his use of the internet and contact with the victim’s family was authorized by article 17.40 , even though the conditions necessarily impaired Victorick’s freedom to communicate electronically and to associate with his family

. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 17.40.11 Therefore, w e conclude that the trial court did not err in denying the application for writ of habeas corpus. Accordingly, we overrule both issues raised by Victorick in Appeal No. 09

- 14

- 00112

- CR

. S UFFICIENCY OF THE E VIDENCE In Victorick’s first issue in A ppeal No. 09

- 14

- 00190

- CR (appeal of his conviction) , Victorick challenges the sufficiency of the evi dence to support his conviction of online solicitation of a minor

. A person commits the offense of online solicitation of a minor if the person “over the Internet, by electronic ma il or text message or other electronic message service or system, or through a commercial online service, knowingly solicits a minor to meet another person, including the actor, with the intent that the minor will engage in sexual contact, sexual intercour se, or deviate sexual intercourse with the actor or another person.”
See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021(c). Victorick argues the evidence at trial was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did “knowingly solicit by text message, K.E., a mi nor, to meet the defendant, with the intent that K.E. would engage in sexual contact and sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse with the defendant , ” as alleged in the indictment. Victorick contends that

“ communicating in a sexually explicit mann er with a minor, even if with the intent
to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person, is legal .” H e argues the evidence is legally insufficient to establish he violated the statute because the State12 failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he solicited K.E. to meet him and that he acted with the intent that K.E. engage in sexual contact. The “ Jackson v. Virginia legal

- sufficiency standard is the only standard that a reviewing court should apply in determining whether the evidence is s ufficient to support each element of a criminal offense that the State is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.” Brooks v. State , 323 S.W.3d 893, 895 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010) (citing Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979)). In evaluating the le gal sufficiency of the evidence, we review all the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict to determine whether any rational fact finder could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Brooks , 323 S.W.3d at 902 n.19; Hooper v. State , 214 S.W.3d 9, 13 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). The jury is the ultimate authority on the credibility of witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony. Brooks , 323 S.W.3d at 894; Penagraph v. State , 623 S.W.2d 341, 343 (Tex. Crim. App. 1981). We give full deference to the jury’ s responsibility to fairly resolve conflicts in the testimony, to weigh the evidence, and to draw reasonable inferences from basic facts to ultimate facts. Hooper , 214 S.W.3d at 13. If the record contains conflicting inferences, we must presume that the jury resolved such facts in favor of the verdict and defer to that resolution. Brooks , 323 S.W.3d at 899 n.13; Clayton v. State , 235 S.W.3d 772, 778 (Tex. Crim. App

. 2007). We also determine whether the necessary inferences are13 reasonable based upon the combined and cumulative force of all the evidence when viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict. Clayton , 235 S.W.3d at 778. We may not substitute our judgme nt concerning the weight and credibility of the evidence for that of the fact finder. King v. State , 29 S.W.3d 556, 562 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). Courts and juries no longer face the difficult task of excluding every reasonable hypo thesis other than the def endant’ s guilt. Under the current standard of review, there is no reason to treat circum stantial evidence of an accused’ s mental state any differently than circumstantial evidence of other elements. Just as circumstantial evidence is reviewed under the sam e standard as direct evidence, circumstantial evidence of intent is reviewed under the same standard as circumstantial evidence of other elements.
Laster v. State , 275 S.W.3d 512, 521 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009). “ As long as the verdict is supported by a reaso nable inference, it is within the province of the factfinder to choose which inference is most reasonable. ” Id. at 523

. In 2013, Victorick was employed as a high school coach and teacher. A year before the events at issue in this appeal, Victorick’s wife became concerned that Victorick might have developed a sexual attraction to K.E. His wife notic ed that Victorick displayed a keen interest in the possibility that his step

- daughter, K.E. ,

m ight be sexually active and the wife observed what appeared to be inappropriate sexual remarks in text messages from Victorick to K.E. Victorick explained to his wife th at he had been “referring to

. . . bas ketball, teaching her how to shoot,14 dribble bette r, things of that nature[]” and that is what he meant when he sent K.E. a text message saying that “he could show her things and do things that, you know, some of those boys couldn’t.” Mrs. Victorick believed her husband, but she put locks on K.E.’s door a nd she would stay up until Victorick went to bed “to make sure that he wasn’t going in there and downloading from her phone[.]” There were times when Victorick was “ acting like a jealous boyfriend [;]” for example, once he climbed a ladder to look into a neighboring cul

- de

- sac to observe K.E. and her boyfriend. On the date of the offense, Victorick, his wife, and K.E. were attending a graduation party at a friend’s home. Victorick was, according to his wife, “drinking

exces sively” at the party. After K.E. left the party and went to a nearby fast food
restaurant with a boy , Victorick sent K.E. a text message asking, “Is your quick l y done? Time to get back.” K.E. responded, “I’m pretty sure all we did was go get ice cream.” Th e exchange of messages between K.E. and Victorick continued as follows: K.E.: We need water
V ictorick : I.need then & sick me you willl love, where are you! Suck me!
K.E.: Never Victorick : If you ever. You will h understand how good I I eat p [

--- ] y, let me show you ! You will. Love ir!!’ Ask the others!!15 K.E.: F [

--- ] you Victorick : Please let me eat you you will love, it quit f [

--- ] ing, I love your, miore than you know!
K.E.: F [

--- ] ing for K.E.: Die 2 K.E. showed the message s to Victorick’s wife , who understood that it referred to oral sex. A few weeks thereafter, K.E. call ed 9

- 1

- 1 about a physical altercation she had with Victorick. During the call, K.E. told the dispatcher that Victorick grabbed her by her hair and shoved her into the furniture , and also that he was “trying to get me to do things with him

. . . sexual things.” K.E. testified at trial that she did not believe Victorick was trying to have sex with her , and that she believed he could have sent the messages because he was trying to keep her from having sex with more people. She does remember, however, telling her mother that she was “creeped out ” by her stepfather, and she agreed that she called 9

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- 1. A clinical psychologist testified for the State. He stated that he had counsele d hundreds of children who were victims of sexual abuse. With respect to the Victorick case, he observed the testimony of K.E., reviewed some but not all of the texts between Victorick and K.E, reviewed the statements given by K.E.’s mother and Victorick, and re vie wed other items from

2 W e use brackets and dashes to note our omission of some letters due to the profane nature of the words.16 the reports. Further, he testified that abusers often “groom” their victims “[t]o foster that dependence and to foster that trust so that they can not only abuse the child and have access to them, but to the extent that they d o harm the child in some way, the child may not tell about it, may even have positive relationships toward the person related to ways that they ’ ve been manipulated.” The psychologist stated that the testimony of K.E. that she did not want Victorick to get in trouble, or that she did not think the texts were intended to be sexual, or that she blamed herself, would be consistent with someone who has been groomed by a suspect, groomed to feel like, to the extent anything bad is happening, it ’ s my fault, rather than the other person ’ s fault, and groomed to take responsibility for that, rather than entertain the idea, which may be a hard idea to entertain, to the extent that a child wants to believe in their father and the goodness of their father and having a go od relationship with the father, that can be a lot for a child to give up. And in some cases that I have worked on, they will try to deny or rationalize or even blame themselves for what ’ s happening rather than believe that their father might be trying to hurt them.
A f orensic examination of Victorick’ s phone revealed an exchange of thousands of messages between Victorick and K.E. prior to July 25, 2013. Included within the messages are statement s that demonstrate Victorick’s sexual interest in
K.E. In his brief on appeal, Victorick further argues that his communications before the date of the offense were not illegal, “no matter how salacious, vulgar,17 inappropriate or sexually explicit a ny of the text messages that Mr. Victorick sent before June 2, 2 013, may have been[.]” He argues that the text message sent from his phone when K.E. went to the fast food restaurant did not request that K.E. meet him. Victorick contends that his messages, which express a present desire to engage in oral sex, appear to have occurred after K.E. returned to the party because they were made after K.E. asked Victorick for water. The alleged presence of Victorick and K.E. being in the same building at the time Victorick sent the
messages would not, however, negate the element of the offense that the person “knowingly solicits a minor to meet another person, including the actor” with the intent that the minor will engage in sexual contact. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021(c). The jury could have reasonably concluded based upon the content of the messages, as well as the testimony and evidence in the record, that Victorick sent K.E. a text message that solicited K.E., a minor , to meet. “Meet” is not defined in the statute. “Words not specially defined by the Legislature are to be understood as ordinary usage allows, and jurors may thus freely read statutory language to have any meaning which is acceptable in common parlance.” Vernon v. State , 841 S.W.2d 407, 409 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992). “Accordingly, when determining the sufficiency of evidence to support a jury verdict, reviewing courts must not employ definitions of relevant statutory words which are different or more restrictive than the jurors themselves were legally18 entit led to use.” Id

. Among its commonly understood terms, “meet” means, “to come near or in touch with by approach from another direction” and “ in the basic sense pertinent here, [usually] implies no more than to come into the presence or
company of whether by chance or design[.]” W EBSTER ’ S T HIRD N EW I NT ’ L D ICTIONARY 1404 (2002) . The jury could, using the ordinary understanding of the word “meet , ” find that Victo rick solicited K.E. to meet him , and further that Victorick asked the victim to engage in a sex act that required physical contact between them. Victorick argues that the text message, “I.need then & sick me you will l love, where are you ! Suck me!”, does not “solicit” K.E. “Solicit” is not defined in section 33.021 of the Texas Penal Code, and could be understood by the jury by its commonly defined terms, which include, “to approach with a request or plea” and “to endeavor to obtain by as king or pleading [.] ” W EBSTER ’ S T HIRD N EW I NT ’ L D ICTIONARY 2169 (2002). “Suck” is also found in the dictionary, and includes the meaning, “to draw in the mouth over or around an object

. . . . ” Id. at 2283. The part of “me” to which Victorick referred could be understood by the jury to mean his genitals , especially in light of another communication from Victorick to K.E. in which Victorick suggested that they engage in oral sex

. The jury could, using the ordinary understanding of the word “solicit , ” find that Victorick asked or pleaded with K.E. to engage in oral sex.19 Victorick contends that the evidence is legally insufficient because the mere presence of the te xt on his phone does not prove that he sent the message because there were college

- age students at the party and one of them could have sent the
message. The officer who examined Victorick’s phone testified that it was password

- protected

. I t was reasonable for the jury to infer that Victorick sent the
message . H is wife saw him use the phone that night, and Victorick sent sexually explicit messages to K.E. on many other occasions. 3 Because the inference that it was Victorick that sent the message from his password

- protected phone was reasonable, the State was not required to exclude the possibility tha t s omeone else at the party used Victorick’s phone to send the messages to K.E. See Laster , 2 7 5 S.W.3d at 521, 523.
V iewing the totality of the evidence and inferences in a light most favorable to the verdict, the jury could have reasonably inferred that Vic torick sent the messages to K.E. See Hooper , 214 S.W.3d at 13. We conclude that the evidence is legally sufficient to support the verdict. Accordingly, we overrule issue one.

3 The testimony and evidence indicated that Victorick

— a 58

- year - old high school teacher and coach

— spied upon K.E. when she was with her friends ; he snuck into her room at night while she slept ; he used the “notes” function of his cell phone to record his own thoughts regarding her sexual activity and to record his sexual attraction to her ; and he sent many other text messages to K.E. t hat included request s to be permitted to perform what a jury could reasonably conclude were sex acts.20 I MPARTIAL T RIBUNAL In his second issue in Appeal No. 09

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- CR (appeal of his conviction) , Victorick argues that the reference to the “victim” in the pre

- trial order setting ancillary conditions of bond demonstrates that the trial judge pre

- judged his guilt, and establi shes that he was deprived of a fair and impartia l tribunal , in violation of the D ue P rocess Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment s . See Tumey v. Ohio , 273 U.S. 510, 523 (1927). “A fair trial in a fair tribunal is a ba sic requirement of due process.” In re Murchison , 349 U.S. 133, 136 (1955). The trial court used a pre

- printed form that contained several references to the “victim” and “the victim’s family” which Victorick argues indicates that the trial court pre

- judged his guilt before the trial. The document imposes conditions but includes no factual findings. The document was not prepared for use before the jury , nor is there any indication from the record that the pre

- trial order setting ancillary conditions of bond was ever shown to the jury

. Additionally, d uring the trial, when Victorick o bjected to the prosecutor’s reference to the complaining witness as “the victim” the trial court sustained the objection and instructed counsel to use the phrase “alleged victim” and instructed the jury that “any time

. . . prosecutor uses the word ‘vi ctim,’ that you take it as alleged victim. ” Therefore, we conclude that t he record does not support Victorick’s claim that the trial court deprived him of the presumption of innocence. We overrule issue two.21 R ECUSAL P ROCEDURE In his third issue in Appeal No. 09

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- 00190

- CR (appeal of his conviction) , Victorick challenges the constitutionality of the recusal procedure contained in Rule 18a(a)(3) and 18a(j)(1)(A) of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. See Tex. R. Civ. P. 18a. S ubs ection (a)(3) of Rule 18a pr ovides that a party may not seek recusal of the judge solely on account of the judge’s rulings in the case in which his recusal is sought. Id. S ubs ection (j)(1)(A) states that a n order denying a motion to recuse may be reviewed only for abuse of discretion on appeal from the final judgment. Id. Victorick argues that Rule 18a unconstitutionally denies a criminal defendant due process “[b]ecause the defendant will have been forced , as was Mr. Victorick, to a trial before a judge who has prejudged his guilt.”

“ When ever we are confronted with an attack up on the constitutionality of a
statute, we presume that the statute is valid and that the Legislature has not acted unreasonably o r arbitrarily. [citation omitted] The burden rests upon the individual who challenges the statute to establish its unconstitutionality ” as applied to him. Rodriguez v. State , 93 S.W.3d 60, 69 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002) (citing to Ex parte Granviel , 561 S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978)) ; Wood v. State , 18 S.W.3d 642, 650

- 51 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). Victorick has not established that the trial court prejudged his guilt. Furthermore, Victorick has not shown that Rule 18a22 is unconstitutional as applied to him or as applied to some hypothetical third party. Therefore, w e overrule issue three.
C ONCLUSION Having overruled all of the issues that have been raised by the appellant in his appeals, we affirm the order denying the application for a writ of habeas corpus and we affirm the judgment of conviction.
AFFIRMED.

________________________________ LEANNE JOHNSON Justice

Submitted on November 10, 2014 Opinion Delivered D ecember 10, 2014 Publish Before McKeithen, C.J., Kreger and Johnson, JJ.

### IN THE NINTH COURT OF APPEALS

_____________________ _____ 09

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- 00190

- CR

__________________________

_________________________________________________________________ On Appeal from the 435th District Court of Montgomery County, Texas Trial Cause No. 13

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- 12323 CR

_________________________________________________________________ JUDGMENT THE NINTH COURT OF APPEALS, having considered this cause on appeal, concludes that the judgment of the trial court should be affirmed. IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, in accordance with the Court’s opinion, that the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. Opinion of the Court delivered by Justice Leanne Johnson December 10, 2014 AFFIRMED

********** Copies of this judgment a nd the Court’s opinion are certified for observance.

Carol Anne Harley Clerk of the Court David Lee Victorick v. The State of Texas