January 26, 2012 Deputy shot at the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Justice Center12NewsNews HD has received an update to a story we reported earlier this week.
On Thursday we reported that a teen charged with attempted capital murder in the January 26, 2012 shooting of Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Fred Ashworth has been ordered by Judge Larry Thorne to undergo psychiatric examinations as required by the Texas Family Code. It is expected that Judge Thorne in March will decide if the teen should be tried as an adult.
On Friday the District Attorney's Office announced it is taking steps to have the teen certified as an adult. A spokesperson issued a statement saying the DA's office has filed a motion to transfer jurisdiction of the case to adult criminal court.
The Jefferson County juvenile probation department will also complete a social study of the accused teen. These reports as well as offense information will be considered by the Court at a formal hearing. J.D. Hamm has been appointed as defense counsel.
If transferred to the adult system, the juvenile faces the same punishment range an adult would face for the offense charged. Both attempted capital murder and aggravated assault on a police officer are first degree felonies which may incur a penalty of 5 to 99 years or life.
