Court accepts Ronald Lamar Allen's plea; defers final adjudication pending civil protective-order clarification and sets Sept. 16 sentencing review

A presiding judge accepted a plea and deferred a finding of guilt in the matter of Ronald Lamar Allen pending further review of related civil protective-order records, and set sentencing-related proceedings for Sept. 16.

The state announced it would recommend community supervision and noted the plea called for punishment to be assessed at three years in prison with a $2,000 fine; the state indicated it was silent on the defendant's application for deferred adjudication while recommending community supervision. The defendant signed plea paperwork and acknowledged waiving appeal rights in writing on the record.

During the hearing the court raised an apparent discrepancy between the civil-file judge's notes and the criminal docket about who was named in protective-order provisions. The court said it had received notes that listed multiple names under a "protective order" heading and asked counsel to tender the civil orders so the criminal court could avoid creating conflicts with existing civil orders. "If somebody can tender to the court, whatever the orders are on the civil side, I'll review those because those judges' notes that were handed to me appear that there's a no contact order," the presiding judge said.

The court and counsel discussed scheduling to allow clarity before final disposition: the court accepted documents on the record and agreed to set a return date, noting the civil court was awaiting a resolution of the criminal matter to complete its own orders. The judge waived a presentence investigation (PSI) and TAP evaluation for the immediate disposition and instructed counsel to provide the civil documentation prior to the next hearing.

Miss Gallegos, identified on the record as counsel for custody interests on the civil side, appeared and conferred with the court; the court asked parties to prepare a written, dated stipulation about any limited travel for the defendant to attend a family event so the criminal order and civil orders would be in sync. The courtroom record shows the matter will return on Sept. 16 and that the court will enter an order after reviewing the civil documents and any agreements between the parties.