Texarkana lawyer arrested, accused of probation violation

Shorty Barrett
Shorty Barrett

TEXARKANA, Texas -- Texarkana lawyer Shorty Barrett was taken into custody Wednesday morning on a warrant stemming from a motion to revoke his misdemeanor probation in Bowie County.

Barrett, 52, was released before noon Wednesday on a $50,000 bond.

Barrett was placed on a misdemeanor deferred adjudication probation Aug. 26 after pleading guilty to assault involving a local businessman. Barrett attacked the victim Dec. 7, 2020, at the victim's office on Texas Boulevard in Texarkana, Texas, as the man was sitting behind his desk.

A little more than two weeks after being placed on probation in Texarkana, Texas, Barrett was arrested in Texarkana, Arkansas, for family violence assault and interference with an emergency call, both misdemeanors, involving a woman. The motion to enter adjudication of guilt and revoke community supervision filed in Barrett's case in Texas cites Barrett's alleged misconduct in Arkansas as cause.

Senior District Judge Lauren Parish is presiding over the Bowie County case, and a deputy with the Texas Attorney General's Office is handling the prosecution. The Bowie County District Attorney's Office and County Court at Law judge recused from the case.

If an order setting aside the deferred adjudication is entered in the Texas case, Barrett could be sentenced to up to a year in county jail or placed on a standard term of probation in Bowie County. Successful completion of a deferred adjudication probation means a final conviction does not appear on an individual's criminal history.

Barrett is scheduled to appear later this week in Texarkana, Arkansas, district court on the charges related to his arrest in September. District Judge David Graham of Columbia County, Arkansas, was appointed to oversee the case after the district judge serving Miller County recused. A prosecutor from Columbia County is assigned as well, said Texarkana, Arkansas, District Clerk Karen Reed.

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