Child Pornography Defense in Denton

Digital Evidence Demands a Defense Built Around Your Case

An investigation can begin with a search warrant, device seizure, platform report, or contact from law enforcement. Computers, phones, external drives, cloud storage, messaging accounts, and browser data may all become part of the inquiry. Don’t delete, reset, transfer, or alter potential evidence. Speak with counsel before answering investigators’ questions.

At Goline & Roland Law Firm, PLLC, we build criminal defense strategies around the accusation, applicable law, and evidence connecting a person to the alleged conduct. Gregory C. Goline brings experience from more than 50 jury trials involving criminal, family law, and personal injury cases.

Call (940) 400-0475 to discuss an investigation, arrest, or charge with our Denton criminal defense attorneys.

Texas Laws That May Apply to These Charges

Conduct commonly described as child pornography can fall under several provisions of Chapter 43 of the Texas Penal Code. The prosecution must prove each element of the charged offense, including the required mental state. The offense classification and potential consequences depend on the alleged conduct and other statutory facts.

Relevant Texas statutes include:

• Texas Penal Code Section 43.26: Addresses intentional or knowing possession, access with intent to view, and promotion of certain visual material depicting a child engaged in sexual conduct. It also covers specified computer-generated depictions.
• Texas Penal Code Section 43.261: Addresses certain electronic transmissions of visual material involving minors. Its elements and classifications differ from those governing possession or promotion.
• Texas Penal Code Section 43.262: Addresses knowing possession, access with intent to view, or promotion of qualifying material depicting the lewd exhibition of a child.
• Texas Penal Code Section 43.235: Covers specified obscene visual material appearing to depict a child, including certain cartoons, animations, artificial-intelligence images, and computer-generated material. This provision took effect September 1, 2025.

Promotion is a statutory concept that may include producing, distributing, transmitting, publishing, or otherwise providing prohibited material. The wording of the allegation matters because possession, access, electronic transmission, and promotion require different proof.

How Searches & Digital Attribution Shape a Case

Finding a file on a device doesn’t end the legal analysis. We may examine how the material arrived, whether it was opened, who controlled the device or account, and whether the evidence supports knowing possession or access with intent to view.

Digital-evidence issues may include:

• Search authority: Probable cause, the scope of the warrant, and which devices or accounts officers were authorized to examine.
• File history: Metadata, download records, browser activity, application data, and automatic storage or synchronization.
• User identity: Shared devices, account security, passwords, remote access, malware, and evidence identifying who performed an action.
• Evidence handling: Collection methods, forensic interpretation, preservation, and chain of custody from seizure through court.

Investigators may also rely on internet-provider records, platform reports, cloud data, and file-sharing activity. Each source must be assessed in context rather than treated as automatic proof of knowledge or identity.

A Case-Specific Defense for Denton Investigations

We develop a strategy after reviewing the known facts and the law that applies to them. Depending on the stage of the case, our work may address contact from investigators, searches and seizures, arrest, bond conditions, charging decisions, discovery, pretrial motions, negotiations, and trial preparation. Some investigations also raise questions of federal jurisdiction. Jurisdiction, bond, admissibility, and potential resolutions all require an individualized analysis.

Our familiarity with North Texas courts, judges, rules, and prosecutorial approaches helps us assess the procedural setting without assuming one case will follow another’s path. Our founding attorneys have more than three decades of combined experience. We also maintain an open-communication policy that includes regular updates and prompt responses to calls and emails.