The Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas has affirmed a Kaufman County judge’s decision to revoke probation and send a defendant to prison after determining he repeatedly failed to comply with the terms of his supervision.
In a decision issued on March 9, 2026, the appellate court upheld the eight-year prison sentence imposed on Billy Leon Baker, rejecting his claims that the trial court abused its discretion and violated his due-process rights.
Original Conviction and Probation
Baker originally pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in an amount between four and 200 grams, a serious felony offense under Texas law.
On October 4, 2023, the 86th Judicial District Court in Kaufman County sentenced him to 10 years in prison, but suspended the sentence and placed him on five years of community supervision instead. The court also ordered a $2,000 fine and court costs.
Community supervision allowed Baker to remain out of prison, but only if he complied with strict conditions set by the court and monitored by the county’s probation department.
Alleged Probation Violations
Just months after being placed on probation, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Baker’s supervision. The State alleged several violations, including:
Failure to report to his probation officer for multiple months
Failure to pay court-ordered fees and supervision costs
Failure to complete required community service hours
Failure to complete the Drug Court program
Failure to complete a drug offender education program
Probation officer Christopher Whalen testified during the revocation hearing that Baker missed required drug court appearances and stopped reporting to supervision after December 2023.
According to testimony, Baker had been clearly instructed to appear in drug court sessions every Friday, but failed to attend as required. After a second missed appearance, the State moved to revoke his probation.
Baker was ultimately arrested on the warrant in September 2024.
Trial Court Revokes Probation
At a revocation hearing in April 2025, Baker pleaded “not true” to the alleged violations.
However, the trial judge found the allegations to be true and revoked his probation.
