Roman Polanski's recent arrest serves as a reminder
In my practice as a Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer a few times a year I have clients that contemplate leaving the United States to avoid their pending charges. Most of the time I convince them that is a bad idea and they stay to fight the case. However, some of my clients that do not follow my advice and leave the country. I can understand that they are scared, confused, and distrustful of the system, but this is hardly ever a good idea. In Texas like most other states the case will not go away despite the amount of time one is out of the country. A perfect example is Roman Polanski, spending over thirty years avoiding an arrest, living life with eyes behind his back, and never able to return to the United States. Mr. Polanski was fortunate that he was able to work abroad, and that additional charges of bail jumping were not filed against him like they would in Houston. I hope that he is treated fairly and not made a poster boy for fleeing the country to avoid prosecution.