Man Who Was Convicted by Victoria Jury Disappears From Court

NOT SO SMART CRIMINAL:

David Terrel Christain, who was convicted by a Victoria jury for a felony offense of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon had his day in court yesterday in Beaumont. In the courtroom, Christian pled not guilty to the offense and then disappeared from the Courthouse. He was not seen again after lunch.  Maybe he thought that his absence would stop the proceedings, he was wrong! The trial resumed without him, and ultimately the jury returned a guilty verdict on Wednesday morning

CAN'T DEFEND HIMSELF:

In his absence, there was more testimony regarding Christian’s criminal history, the jury also returned a verdict on the punishment of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the maximum sentence possible for the offense charged. At this time   Christian remains a fugitive and will be sentenced formally to the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice once apprehended.

LOCAL SPECIFICS ABOUT THE CASE:

The case was prosecuted by the office of Criminal District Attorney Constance Filley Johnson by assistant criminal district attorneys Arnold Hayden and Andrea Harvey. Representing the defendant was attorney James Reeves of Hallettsville. Judge Elí Garza, District Judge of the 377th District Court of Victoria County, presided over the proceedings.

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WHAT HE DID:

Christian was found with a firearm after residents at the Victoria Housing Authority called 911 in reference to an individual arguing with a resident and waving a firearm in the air on April 15, 2020.

Officers from the Victoria Police Department responded to the call and located Christian in possession of a 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Investigation revealed that Christian had previously been convicted and sentenced to prison for a felony offense in Harris County in 2016.