You might know her better as David Straight’s wife. This decision was filed recently.
Bonnie Allen Thomas, also known by various aliases, was convicted of carrying a weapon in a prohibited place, a third-degree felony. Her five-year prison sentence was initially suspended, and she was placed on five years of community supervision. However, the State later moved to revoke her community supervision due to violations of its conditions. The trial court agreed and imposed the original prison sentence. Thomas appealed the revocation, representing herself under her claimed right to pro se representation.
After her conviction in 2019, Bonnie’s compliance with community supervision conditions came under scrutiny. She denied the State’s allegations but was found in violation and had her supervision revoked. Representing herself, Bonnie filed a series of unconventional documents asserting jurisdictional challenges, habeas corpus claims, and demands for relief via sovereign citizen-style arguments.
The appellate court abated the case multiple times to assess her claims, including her refusal to use state-licensed legal counsel and her financial arrangements for the appellate record. Despite warnings, she failed to submit an appellant’s brief, and the court proceeded to review the case based on the limited record.
Bonnie’s filings included challenges to the court’s jurisdiction and the legitimacy of state-licensed legal counsel. The court reaffirmed its jurisdiction, citing that the indictment of a felony offense grants the trial court authority over both the subject matter and the individual. It also rejected her claims that “sovereign person” status exempted her from state law, aligning with Texas and federal precedent dismissing such theories as baseless.
Her insistence on using non-bar-licensed “counsel” was similarly denied. The court clarified that the constitutional right to counsel does not extend to unlicensed individuals. Moreover, her claim of entitlement to a jury trial in the revocation hearing was dismissed, as Texas law expressly permits revocation hearings to proceed without juries.
The court affirmed the trial court’s judgment, rejecting Bonnie’s procedural and substantive challenges. It dismissed her pending motions as either procedurally deficient or beyond the appellate court’s jurisdiction, including her requests for habeas corpus relief, which must be addressed by courts with original jurisdiction over such matters.
Chief Justice Matt Johnson authored the opinion, with participation from Justices Smith and Davis. The memorandum was filed with instructions not to publish, signaling its application to Bonnie’s circumstances without broad precedential intent.
Citation: Thomas v. State, No. 10-23-00137-CR, 2025 Tex. App. LEXIS 218 (Tex. App.—Waco Jan. 16, 2025) (mem. op., not designated for publication).