Alton Lamont Edwards v. the State of Texas
CourtTexas Court of Appeals, 11th District (Eastland)
Date FiledAugust 6, 2026
Docket11-25-00264-CR
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Opinion filed August 6, 2026
In The
Eleventh Court of Appeals
__________
No. 11-25-00264-CR
__________
ALTON LAMONT EDWARDS, Appellant
V.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
On Appeal from the 161st District Court
Ector County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. B240433CR
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Appellant, Alton Lamont Edwards, pled guilty to the offense of possession of
a controlled substance in an aggregate amount of less than one gram, a state-jail
felony. See TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE ANN. § 481.115(b) (West Supp. 2025).
Pursuant to the terms of a negotiated plea agreement between Appellant and the
State, the trial court sentenced Appellant to two years’ confinement in the State Jail
Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, but suspended the imposition
of this sentence, and placed Appellant on community supervision for two years. The
State subsequently moved to revoke Appellant’s community supervision, alleging
that Appellant had committed seven violations of the terms and conditions of his
community supervision. The trial court held a hearing on the State’s motion, during
which Appellant pled “true” to three allegations; the State abandoned the four
allegations of which Appellant pled “not true.” Upon the conclusion of the hearing,
the trial court found the three live allegations in the State’s motion to be “true,”
revoked Appellant’s community supervision, and sentenced him to 240 days
confinement in the State Jail Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Appellant’s court-appointed counsel has filed a motion to withdraw in this
court, supported by a brief in which counsel professionally and conscientiously
examines the record and applicable law and concludes that there are no meritorious
or arguable grounds to present on appeal. See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738,
744 (1967); In re Schulman, 252 S.W.3d 403, 406–09 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008).
Counsel has provided Appellant with a copy of the brief, a copy of the motion to
withdraw, an explanatory letter, and copies of the clerk’s and reporter’s records.
Counsel also advised Appellant of his right to (1) object to counsel’s motion,
(2) review the record, (3) file a pro se response to counsel’s brief, and (4) file a
petition for discretionary review. See TEX. R. APP. P. 6.5, 68. As such, court-
appointed counsel has complied with the requirements of Anders, 386 U.S. at 742–
44; Kelly v. State, 436 S.W.3d 313 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014); Schulman, 252 S.W.3d
409–12; and Stafford v. State, 813 S.W.2d 503 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991).
Appellant has not filed a response to counsel’s Anders brief. Following the
procedures outlined in Anders and Schulman, we have independently reviewed the
record and the brief, and we conclude that this appeal is without merit. In a
revocation proceeding, the State need only prove a violation of a term or condition
of community supervision by a preponderance of the evidence—the greater weight
2
of credible evidence that would create a reasonable belief that the probationer has
violated a term or condition of his community supervision. Cardona v. State, 665
S.W.2d 492, 493 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984); Scamardo v. State, 517 S.W.2d 293, 298
(Tex. Crim. App. 1974); Guillory v. State, 652 S.W.3d 923, 928 (Tex. App.—
Eastland 2022, pet. ref’d). In this setting, the trial court, as the trier of the facts, is
the sole judge of the credibility of the witnesses, and the weight to be afforded their
testimony, and may resolve any inconsistencies in their testimony. Hacker v. State,
389 S.W.3d 860, 865 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013); Naquin v. State, 607 S.W.2d 583, 586
(Tex. Crim. App. 1980).
Although we review a trial court’s revocation decision under an abuse of
discretion standard, see Rickels v. State, 202 S.W.3d 759, 763 (Tex. Crim. App.
2006); Cardona, 665 S.W.2d at 493, we review the evidence presented at a
revocation proceeding in the light most favorable to the trial court’s rulings. Hacker,
389 S.W.3d at 865; Garrett v. State, 619 S.W.2d 172, 174 (Tex. Crim. App. 1981).
Here, Appellant pled “true” to three allegations in the State’s motion, which the trial
court accepted and found to be “true.” Further, the evidence presented at the hearing
is sufficient to support each finding of “true” made by the trial court. See Rickels,
202 S.W.3d at 764.
Proof of only a single violation of the terms and conditions of a probationer’s
community supervision is sufficient to support the trial court’s revocation order.
Bryant v. State, 391 S.W.3d 86, 93 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012); Garcia v. State, 387
S.W.3d 20, 26 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012); Smith v. State, 286 S.W.3d 333, 342 (Tex.
Crim. App. 2009); Sanchez v. State, 603 S.W.2d 869, 871 (Tex. Crim. App. [Panel
Op.] 1980); Jones v. State, 472 S.W.3d 322, 324 (Tex. App.—Eastland 2015, pet.
ref’d); Hart v. State, 264 S.W.3d 364, 367 (Tex. App.—Eastland 2008, pet. ref’d).
Moreover, and in this regard, a plea of “true,” without more, is sufficient to support
the trial court’s decision to revoke a probationer’s community supervision. See
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Garcia, 387 S.W.3d at 26; Moses v. State, 590 S.W.2d 469, 470 (Tex. Crim. App.
[Panel Op.] 1979). Therefore, based on our review of the record, we agree with
counsel that no meritorious or arguable grounds for appeal exist. 1 See Anders, 386
U.S. at 744; Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d 824, 826–27 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005).
Accordingly, we grant counsel’s motion to withdraw, and we affirm the
judgment of the trial court.
W. STACY TROTTER
JUSTICE
August 6, 2026
Do not publish. See TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
Panel consists of: Bailey, C.J.,
Trotter, J., and Williams, J.
1
Appellant has the right to file a petition for discretionary review with the Court of Criminal
Appeals pursuant to Rule 68 of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.
4