Judge grants deferred adjudication to defendant with leukemia, imposes reporting and treatment conditions

A Denton County trial court granted deferred adjudication Tuesday to Walter Prince in 2025CR006467 after defense counsel provided medical records showing the defendant is receiving treatment for leukemia.

The judge told Prince the court would impose six years of deferred adjudication rather than immediate prison time, citing the defendant’s medical needs and treatment at the UT Health Science Center. "Because of your medical issues, that's why you're going to receive probation," the judge said during the hearing.

Under the court’s disposition, Prince must report regularly (by Zoom or in person), submit to random urine analyses, complete 100 hours of community-service restitution and take an anti-theft course. The court ordered a $1,500 fine that will be probated and prohibited employment as a home health aide or in work involving minors; any restitution owed to the victim (named in court) remains a condition to be satisfied. The judge said the defendant must provide proof of employment or medically documented inability to work within 45 days, and warned that revocation of deferred adjudication could expose Prince to the full statutory range of punishment.

Defense counsel told the court they had delivered about 55 pages of medical records; the judge accepted the records as a basis to avoid a prison term and emphasized that missing required evaluations or appointments could trigger a motion to revoke. "You had better not steal anymore," the judge said, explaining probation was being granted with conditions to address both health and public-safety concerns.

The court also clarified that the plea bargain capped punishment at seven years, and that the state would remain silent on enhancement allegations as part of the agreement.

The hearing record shows the plea and the court’s sentencing order were entered on the docket; probation will monitor compliance and notify the court of any violations.