Anderson County Recent Arrest and Booking Information
Booking and New Arrests at the Anderson County Jail
Arrestees from all over Anderson County are booked in at 1200 East Lacy Street, Palestine, TX 75801. Once booking is complete, the person shows as in custody in Texas IVSS-Counties; the booking desk line is 903-729-6068.
What booking involves
- Hand-off and search. Officers hand over the arrestee along with the arrest paperwork, and jail staff conduct a search before intake begins.
- Record, photo and fingerprints. A jail record is opened with a booking photo and prints. The record's SO number is what families later use on letters.
- Property. Clothes, cash and belongings are inventoried and held.
- Health screening. Texas jail standards require an intake screening for medical problems, mental illness and suicide risk, and Article 16.22 sets a 12-hour deadline to alert a magistrate when mental illness is suspected.
- First call home. Timing of that first call varies with how busy intake is. Nobody can hurry that call along, but staff will confirm by phone that intake is under way.
- Magistrate's warnings. No later than 48 hours after arrest, a magistrate goes over the accusation and the defendant's rights; this is also when a lawyer can be requested and a bond amount fixed.
- Release or housing. Once a bond posts, release paperwork starts (see our Anderson County bail page); otherwise the person is classified and assigned to housing.
Anderson County Arrests and Booking: Questions From Families
How soon after an arrest can I find out someone was booked?
Who sets bail for a new Palestine arrestee?
How are jail and arrest records requested?
What if the person arrested has a mental illness?
Which court takes the case after booking?
How soon after an arrest can I find out someone was booked?
That depends on the intake line that day. The booking desk (903-729-6068) will know first; IVSS-Counties may lag.
Who sets bail for a new Palestine arrestee?
A magistrate does, at the hearing Article 15.17 requires within 48 hours of arrest. Under Senate Bill 9 (2025), certain serious felonies are reserved for a judge instead of an appointed magistrate; see our bail page.
How are jail and arrest records requested?
Send a written request by letter or email to the Sheriff's Records Department, which keeps jail reports and case reports. Records can be reached at 903-731-8214.
What if the person arrested has a mental illness?
Tell jail staff as early as you can. Under Article 16.22 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, when there is reason to believe a person in custody has a mental illness or intellectual disability, the sheriff must notify a magistrate within 12 hours so an assessment can be ordered.
Which court takes the case after booking?
Felony cases are filed with the District Clerk for the 3rd, 87th, 349th or 369th District Court, and misdemeanor files are kept by the County Clerk for the County Court at Law, all at 500 North Church Street in Palestine. Clerk phone numbers sit on our courthouse guide.
