Accused Online Predator Backs Out of Plea Deal

Dakota Flores had just confessed his guilt before 391^st District Judge Tom Gossett on Wednesday afternoon when he expressed dissatisfaction with his retained legal counsel, Melvin Gray.

Seated in the courtroom in jail-issued orange jumpsuit, Flores, 23, acknowledged the two third-degree felony counts of online solicitation of a minor and bail jumping against him and “freely and voluntarily” pled guilty at 2:17 p.m.

But when Gossett asked if he was satisfied with the representation provided by his legal counsel, Flores’ demeanor changed.

“This is the first time I’m seeing Mr. Brigman,” the defendant said of the attorney seated at his right. “Mr. Gray I have not been very satisfied with.”

Brigman and Gray office together in a private firm on College Ave. Flores had hired Gray to represent him in the two cases; however, an application for court-appointed counsel was submitted on Wednesday morning, a few hours before the hearing.

Having heard Flores’ complaint, Gossett replied, “alright, I’ll just reject this plea then.” Checking to make sure he was certain, Flores nodded and was taken back to await jail transport from the courtroom gallery.

Flores was among nine men arrested in a DPS sting in December 2014. Seven of those men were indicted, including Dakota Flores. The first of those men pled guilty in June and was sentenced to four years. Another of them, Terry Freeman, backed out of the same plea deal last minute in July. The charges were dropped against James Hoy, who was arrested and indicted initially.

Had he taken the plea agreement with the state on Wednesday, Flores would have been sentenced to five years’ incarceration in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for each charge. His cases will be placed back on the docket for trial.

Third-degree felonies are punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine not exceed $10,000.