Bexar County, Texas Criminal Defense: why case posture and bond paperwork matter before the file starts to drift

Criminal cases in Bexar County are handled across the district courts (felonies) and the county courts at law (misdemeanors), centered at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center (300 Dolorosa St., San Antonio TX 78205) and the Bexar County Courthouse downtown. The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney, Joe Gonzales, prosecutes state criminal cases countywide. Felony charges in Texas must be indicted by a grand jury before proceeding to trial (unless the defendant waives indictment), while misdemeanors proceed on an information. Arrests are made by the San Antonio Police Department, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office (which also runs the Bexar County Adult Detention Center), and other agencies including the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Indigent defendants in Texas have the right to appointed counsel under the Texas Fair Defense Act, and Bexar County provides representation through a combination of the Bexar County Public Defender's Office (which handles certain categories of cases, including appeals and mental-health and competency matters) and appointed private counsel drawn from an approved list, with the county's managed-assigned-counsel and appointment system determining who is assigned. If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can request appointed counsel at your first appearance (magistration), and a magistrate reviews eligibility. Because the appointment structure differs from the single large public-defender model used in some jurisdictions, understanding that most Bexar County indigent felony defendants are represented by appointed private attorneys (rather than a staff public defender) is useful context.

Bail and pretrial release in Texas begin at magistration, where a magistrate informs the arrestee of the charges and their rights and sets bail or conditions. Texas bail practice has been the subject of significant reform litigation and, more recently, legislation (including Senate Bill 6 in 2021) that restricts release on personal bond for certain violent offenses and changes how bail decisions are made. Many lower-level defendants are released on a personal (unsecured) bond or a low cash or surety bond, while serious and violent charges draw higher bail; a defendant who can't make bail can ask the court for a reduction. Custody at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center while a case is pending affects plea and trial strategy.

Texas sentencing turns on the offense classification. Misdemeanors range from Class C (fine-only) up to Class A; felonies range from state-jail felonies through first-degree felonies and capital offenses, each with its own punishment range under the Texas Penal Code. Texas offers several alternatives to a conviction for eligible defendants: deferred adjudication community supervision (a form of probation that, if completed successfully, avoids a final conviction), specialty courts (Bexar County operates drug court, DWI court, veterans treatment court — significant given the county's large military and veteran population, and mental-health court), and pretrial diversion programs run through the District Attorney's Office. A non-citizen defendant should be aware that even a deferred adjudication can count as a conviction for immigration purposes, so criminal and immigration advice must be coordinated.

After a case ends, Texas offers two main forms of record relief, which are narrower than in some states. Expunction (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ch. 55) completely erases records but is generally available only for arrests that did not lead to conviction (dismissals, acquittals, and certain no-bills), not for cases resulting in conviction or, usually, deferred adjudication. An order of nondisclosure (Tex. Gov. Code §411.081) seals records from public view for certain eligible offenses, often after successful completion of deferred adjudication and a waiting period. Eligibility is technical and offense-specific. Anyone facing charges should secure counsel immediately — appointed or retained — given how quickly magistration, grand jury, and plea deadlines move, and, for non-citizens, how consequential a plea can be.