Edwards County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

In most cases a magistrate, not the jail staff, picks the bail number. A person locked up here has a right to see one fast, with 48 hours as the outer limit (Crim. Proc. Code art. 15.17). A camera hookup can stand in for a courtroom at this step.

Texas law treats justices of the peace and county judges as magistrates (Crim. Proc. Code art. 2A.151). Here, that covers the Justice of the Peace at 100 W. Main, Rocksprings, TX 78880, 830-683-5187. During those few minutes, the magistrate does four jobs:

• reads out the charge,
• makes clear the person need not talk and can ask for counsel,
• walks the person through the form that asks for an appointed lawyer,
• fixes the bail and any release rules.

State law gives 48 hours from arrest to settle bail, with every arrestee weighed one at a time (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.028). For anything at Class B or above, the magistrate reads a report on the person's history before choosing a number (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.022). Jail staff at 830-683-4104 can say when the hearing is likely.

Texas statutes recognize two families of release: bonds secured with cash or a bondsman's pledge, and bonds secured only by the accused person's word (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.01). In practice, you will hear about three kinds:

• Cash bond. You put up the full figure yourself. Show up each time the court says to and the deposit returns (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.02). It is the costliest choice up front.
• Surety bond. With this kind, a bondsman signs for the whole sum. What you pay the bondsman is the price of that service, so it stays with them.
• Personal bond. A signed promise takes the place of money, and nothing is paid at release (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.03).

Some charges block a personal bond. The list holds many violent offenses, gun possession by a felon, terroristic threats rated Class A or above, and certain breaches of protective orders. A middle group exists too. Burglary and organized crime charges, plus some drug felonies, can still qualify, but just from the judge who has the case (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.03).

Bond rules should be no tighter than needed (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.028). A driver accused of DWI for a second time will need an interlock device in the car (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.441). Our statewide bail summary goes into more depth.

Texas leaves bail pricing to local magistrates, case by case. Each figure is reached by balancing a set of points the Legislature lists in Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.15:

• a sum big enough that skipping court makes no sense,
• but not so big that bail turns into a penalty in itself,
• the nature of the charge,
• what this person can afford,
• whether the alleged victim, officers or the town could be at risk,
• prior convictions and citizenship status.

A warrantless arrest adds a deadline. Suppose no magistrate rules on probable cause in time. Then a misdemeanor arrestee must be let go within a day, with bond no more than $5,000. Felony cases allow 48 hours, with $10,000 as the most. Can't raise even that? Then release on a signed promise follows (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.033).

The forms magistrates fill out are on the Texas Judicial Branch bail page. Once the hearing ends, staff can give you the bail on each charge at 830-683-4104.

The lockup stands at 404 West Austin Street, Rocksprings, TX 78880, and someone answers its phone around the clock. A smooth bond goes like this:

1. Phone 830-683-4104. Spell out the person's name as it reads on a license, and give the birth date.
2. Have staff read the bond for each charge. Two charges can mean two bonds.
3. Ask how the jail wants a cash bond paid right now. If you bring a money order, get the exact name to write on it.
4. Going through a bondsman? Request the Sheriff's list of bail bond companies. Those companies are listed as reachable Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
5. Have your own ID in hand when you arrive, and keep each receipt safe.

Sheriff's office business runs through 830-683-8305, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In family violence cases where more violence seems likely, state law adds a 4-hour cooling-off wait between posting bond and walking out (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.291).

Once charges are filed, bond papers move through the County Clerk, 101 E. Main, Rocksprings, TX 78880, 830-683-2235. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon, then 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The county website routes 452nd District clerk matters to this office as well, so felony paperwork lands here.

If the charge is a Class C ticket, worth a fine and no jail, the case sits with the Justice of the Peace at 100 W. Main, Rocksprings, TX 78880, 830-683-5187. That office keeps Monday to Thursday hours, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Personal bonds are the rule for these fine-only cases (Crim. Proc. Code art. 45A.107). Someone who owes a ticket fine may use the court's online fine page, which is for tickets and not for bail on someone in custody.

Phone ahead to ask what the office can take and when the jail will let your person walk out.

Payment rules for a cash bond come from the jail, so check with staff at 830-683-4104 before driving in. Jot down who you talked to and when.

A few habits help:

• Carry the exact sum so making change is never an issue.
• Expect the receipt to show the payer's name, so the payer should bring ID.
• Cash never goes in the mail.
• Bondsmen make their own rules. Get their price and any pledge of property written down before you sign.

The Sheriff's Office points families to City Tele Coin for deposits onto a jail account. That money is for use inside the jail and cannot cover bail. Our jail account deposits page has details.

When you hire a bondsman, that company guarantees the full bail. If your person runs, the company pays. You pay for that promise. Texas law puts no top limit on the charge, so compare before signing.

• Texas makes counties over 110,000 residents run a licensing board for bondsmen. Ranch counties this size get to decide for themselves (Occupations Code 1704.002).
• Sheriffs in counties that never formed a board may keep a roster of qualified sureties (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.141). Jail staff can share the Sheriff's list.
• Receipts are required, and bondsmen are barred from seeking customers inside a jail (Occupations Code 1704.304).
• After the case closes, a written request for collateral starts a 30-day clock for its return (Occupations Code 1704.301).
• To step away from a bond, a bondsman files a sworn statement and must warn the defense lawyer first (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.19).

Hired defense lawyers are allowed to write a bond for their own client, too.

Paying one bond settles only one case. So before paying, ask the staff to name any hold on file. Common ones:

• Out-of-county warrant. A local magistrate may handle bail on that outside warrant, then send the bond on (Crim. Proc. Code art. 15.18).
• Blue warrant from parole. State parolees may stay locked up until their violation hearing (Government Code 508.254).
• ICE detainer. Under state law the jail keeps honoring it until the person proves legal status (Crim. Proc. Code art. 2A.060).
• Family violence. A 4-hour wait after bond, and a magistrate's signed order can add as many as 48 hours beyond that (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.291).
• Mental health. Signs of mental illness at booking start a 12-hour clock for notice to a magistrate (Crim. Proc. Code art. 16.22). An extra review can follow.

The jail line, 830-683-4104, can check each of these for you.

Nearly everyone accused in Texas can get bail. The exception written long ago covers capital charges where the evidence is strong and clear (Tex. Const. art. I, §11). Three newer sections let a judge order someone held, but only after a hearing, in cases of certain people charged with felonies again, people who broke release conditions, and people who broke protective orders (sections 11a, 11b and 11c).

Proposition 3 passed at the polls in November 2025 and became section 11d. Its reach is limited to grave violent crimes. Murder is listed. So is any aggravated charge of kidnapping, of robbery or of sexual assault, along with child indecency, human trafficking, and assaults that badly hurt someone or involve a weapon. Only the prosecutor can raise it. At that hearing the state carries the burden. Showing a flight risk takes the lower "more likely than not" standard, while showing danger takes clear and convincing evidence. If either is met, bail is denied, and any judge who still grants it owes a written explanation.

Prosecutors also gained a 2025 tool: asking a district judge to revisit bail set on a felony (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.029). In Edwards cases, felony prosecution belongs to the 452nd District Attorney, based in Mason: P.O. Box 635, Mason, TX 76856, 325-446-9425.

Your person's lawyer may file paperwork asking the judge to lower bail or ease its rules. Judges tend to listen to proof of a steady job, years spent living in the area, kids or aging parents at home, and a frank look at what the family earns. Bail set beyond a person's reach can be oppressive, and the law bars that (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.15).

Slow prosecutions help too. Texas sets deadlines, and once the state misses one, the court has to drop the amount or let the person out on their signature (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.151). The clocks run from the start of detention:

• 90 days when the top charge is a felony,
• 30 days on a misdemeanor whose jail range tops 180 days,
• 15 days on a misdemeanor capped at 180 days,
• 5 days when the worst outcome is a fine.

Exceptions apply, so ask the lawyer whether they fit. Filings go through the County Clerk, 830-683-2235.

Short on money for a defense attorney? Speak up early. At the first hearing the magistrate fills out the request with them, then has 24 hours to forward it (Crim. Proc. Code art. 15.17). Because the county population sits well under the 250,000 mark, the deadline to pick counsel is the third working day after the appointing office gets the request (Crim. Proc. Code art. 1.051). From then, the new lawyer gets one more working day to make a real effort at contact (Crim. Proc. Code art. 26.04).

Edwards, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch and Menard use one shared appointment plan. You can open it with the county plan finder kept by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Posting bail does not on its own make someone ineligible (Crim. Proc. Code art. 26.04). If days pass with no word from a lawyer, ring the County Clerk at 830-683-2235.

Nearly every local court office sits on Main Street:

• Edwards County Courthouse, home of the County Judge and the constitutional County Court, which hears Class A and B misdemeanors: 100 West Main, Rocksprings, TX 78880, 830-683-6122.
• County Clerk, keeper of county and district court files: 101 E. Main, Rocksprings, TX 78880, 830-683-2235.
• Justice of the Peace, for tickets punished by fines and for magistrate hearings: 100 W. Main, Rocksprings, TX 78880, 830-683-5187.
• 452nd District Court, for felonies. Its single district judge rides a five-county circuit that includes this one. The County Clerk can tell you when local felony dockets are set.
• U.S. District Court, Del Rio Division, for federal charges: 111 East Broadway, Room L100, Del Rio, TX 78840, 830-703-2054.

When the case closes with every bond rule obeyed, the cash goes back to whoever's name appears on the receipt (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.02). The clerk may skim a fee of 5%, capped at $50, but that fee waits for an outcome of guilt or deferred adjudication. Any fines or court costs the person owes can also be taken out of the deposit (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.53). For a plain summary, see the state's cash bond fact sheet.

Failing to show lets the judge enter a forfeiture on the bond, which starts the process of collecting it (Crim. Proc. Code art. 22.01). Sureties are released from paying when the person is back in jail fast enough, inside 180 days for misdemeanors and 270 days for felonies (Crim. Proc. Code art. 22.13). Skipping can also lead to a fresh charge for bail jumping. Its level, Class C up to third-degree felony, follows the level of the original charge (Penal Code 38.10).

Fees paid to a bondsman never come back. Refund questions go to the County Clerk, 830-683-2235.

Belongings are handed back at the jail, 404 West Austin Street, Rocksprings, TX 78880, on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. A signed property receipt is required. The clothes worn at the time of arrest are kept with the person's things.

Call 830-683-4104 first. Ask how leftover commissary money gets paid out, and whether a relative needs a signed release to pick things up. Our jail money page covers accounts in general.

A federal arrest here is sent to Del Rio. The Western District of Texas holds court for this area at the U.S. Courthouse, 111 East Broadway, Room L100, Del Rio, TX 78840. The clerk's number is 830-703-2054.

• A magistrate judge decides federal release at a detention hearing. Either the person heads home under conditions, or stays locked up awaiting trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Pretrial federal prisoners stay under the U.S. Marshals Service, which also chooses the jail that holds them. The Marshals' Del Rio office is at 111 East Broadway, Room 159, Del Rio, TX 78840, 830-703-2075. Staff there can name the jail.
• For appointed federal counsel, call the Federal Public Defender, 2205 Veterans Boulevard, Suite A-2, Del Rio, TX 78840, 830-703-2040.
• Once a federal sentence begins, try the federal Bureau of Prisons locator for the prison.

Bonding out on a state charge leaves an ICE hold standing. This is how things normally unfold:

1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asks the Rocksprings jail to keep the person, using Form I-247A.
2. This detainer allows a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Since 2017, Texas has required its jails to follow these requests. The hold lifts early for a person who documents citizenship or lawful presence (Crim. Proc. Code art. 2A.060; Government Code 752.053).
4. Texas passed S.B. 8 in 2025, which requires counties with jails to ask ICE for a 287(g) partnership. The deadline is December 1, 2026. Questions about the local status go to the Sheriff's Office at 830-683-8305.
5. ICE agents collect the person. The agency's San Antonio Field Office, 3523 Crosspoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217, 210-564-3300, serves much of south central Texas.
6. To find someone after pickup, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator, which asks for a birth country along with a name or alien registration number.

Felony prison terms are served with TDCJ, the state's prison agency. A state jail felony, the bottom rung of Texas felonies, is punished with a stay of 180 days up to 24 months (Penal Code 12.35). Either way, the sentenced person sits in the Rocksprings jail until TDCJ has room at intake. There, staff assess each prisoner and assign a unit that matches their needs.

• Use the TDCJ inmate search. Enter TDCJ or SID numbers, or a precise surname plus first initial.
• For a rundown of the state system, visit our Texas prisons page.

Juvenile court in Texas takes kids who had turned 10 but not 17 at the time of the claimed offense. Seventeen-year-olds go through adult bail like anyone else.

• Whoever takes a child in owes the parent a prompt call explaining the reason (Family Code 52.02).
• Detention can't last long without review. A judge looks at it by the second working day. For Friday and Saturday arrests, that review moves to the first working day. Before the judge hears it, a lawyer is named for the child (Family Code 54.01).

Local youth are served by the 452nd District Juvenile Probation Department, 1000 South Wall Street, Brady, TX 76825, 325-792-4163. Call them for the child's location and the hearing time.