Wayne McCollum Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

That job belongs to a magistrate. State law says an arrested person must appear before one quickly, and 48 hours is the outer limit. That can happen in a room together or over a video link (Crim. Proc. Code arts. 14.06, 15.17). Magistrates include district and county judges, justices of the peace and municipal judges (Crim. Proc. Code art. 2A.151).

What happens in those few minutes:

• The charge is read, along with warnings about silence, hiring a lawyer and ending any police interview.
• The magistrate explains how to request an appointed lawyer and assists with the paperwork.
• Bail and its conditions are decided for that one person, based on that one case (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.028).

For Class B offenses and anything more serious, a public safety report on the person's history goes to the magistrate before bail is set. It does not score risk or recommend an amount (Crim. Proc. Code arts. 17.021, 17.022). Someone in the Red Oak police lockup usually goes before that city's judge once each weekday, and the judge reads the charges and names the bond. For timing at the county jail, call 972-825-4931.

Texas law recognizes two broad kinds of bail. One is a bail bond, paid in cash or signed by a surety. A personal bond makes up the second kind (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.01). Whatever is chosen, the magistrate is told to use the least restrictive terms that still get the accused to court and protect others (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.028).

• Cash bond. The family hands over the full bail in money. That deposit stays with the court until the case ends (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.02).
• Surety bond. A county-licensed bondsman puts their name behind the whole bail amount. In return, the family pays that bondsman a fee that stays with the bondsman.
• Personal bond. No cash and no surety, just the accused's signed pledge to come back (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.03). Ask the jail whether a fee is added.
• Fine-only release. On a Class C charge, the magistrate may hand over a written date for court and skip bond entirely, except for some people with past convictions (Crim. Proc. Code art. 15.17).

Some people are barred from a personal bond. Among them are people accused of listed violent offenses, gun possession by a felon, violating certain protective orders, or a terroristic threat at the Class A level or higher. Also included is anyone already supervised for a violent offense who picks up a new charge (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.03). Any bond may also carry conditions. Repeat DWI, for example, brings an ignition interlock (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.441).

Texas never adopted one statewide schedule of amounts. A magistrate picks each figure one case at a time, guided by factors written into the law (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.15):

• enough to make a court return likely, yet never so high it works as oppression;
• the nature of the offense and the facts behind it;
• how much money the accused truly has;
• any danger to the victim, the police or the wider community;
• past arrests and convictions, as shown in the public safety report;
• citizenship status.

The law does put a ceiling on one situation. Suppose police arrested someone without a warrant and probable cause was not ruled on in time. Release must then follow by hour 24 on a misdemeanor, with bail no higher than $5,000, or by hour 48 on a felony, with bail no higher than $10,000. Anyone unable to afford that is released on a personal bond (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.033).

To hear the actual amount, call jail information at 972-825-4931. Keep the full legal name and birthday nearby.

The county jail handles bonds inside its processing area, 300 S. Jackson Street, Waxahachie, TX 75165. According to the Sheriff, the bond and release areas there are open to the public for posting bonds, paying fines and claiming inmate property. The Sheriff's Office operates around the clock.

1. Phone jail information at 972-825-4931 and spell out the name.
2. Learn the bail total, the figure for each count, and whether a magistrate has acted yet.
3. Check the bond window hours and which payments it accepts right now.
4. Find out if a hold or the family violence waiting period applies.
5. Bring photo identification and the payment. Hang on to every receipt.
6. Before leaving, ask where the released person will walk out.

Licensed bondsmen post surety bonds at this jail as well. Arrests by Ennis police on felony or Class A and B charges are bonded here too.

That turns on which agency arrested the person and on the level of the charge.

• Ennis Detention Center, inside the Ennis Police Department, 1700 Lake Bardwell Drive, Ennis, TX 75119, 972-875-4455. Running 24/7, this city jail keeps people awaiting charges and people doing time on Ennis Municipal Court misdemeanors. City Class C warrants may be cleared there with exact cash, a money order, or a bail bond when the warrant permits. Cards, checks and ATM payments are turned away. Felony bonds and other misdemeanor bonds are sent to the county jail.
• Red Oak police holding facility, 547 N. Methodist, Red Oak, TX 75154. Its records clerk takes calls at 972-617-7632, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For felonies and Class A or B charges, the city points families to a lawyer or a bail bond company. Red Oak's own Class C warrants can be settled at its municipal court with cash, MasterCard, Visa or Discover, or with jail credit. Ask the clerk for the court's location. At the lockup, a money order for the exact fine, payable to the City of Red Oak, is accepted. Failure-to-appear warrants take cash, a card or a bail bond. Warrants from any other city are paid to that city.
• Clerks' offices. After a case is filed, ask the clerk who holds the file whether bail can be posted there. Felony files: District Clerk, 109 S Jackson St., Second Floor, Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5091. Misdemeanor files: County Clerk's Criminal Misdemeanor Division, 109 South Jackson, Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5070. Both keep weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Each office has its own rules, so call ahead each time.

• County jail bond window. Call 972-825-4931 and ask what it takes today and whether cards carry an extra charge.
• Ennis lockup. Class C warrants need exact cash or a money order. Cards, checks and ATM cards won't work.
• Red Oak. At the lockup, a money order in the exact fine amount, written to the City of Red Oak. At the municipal court, cash or a MasterCard, Visa or Discover card.
• Bondsman. The family pays the fee; the bondsman covers the full bond with the court.

Cash should never go in an envelope. File every receipt somewhere safe, since a cash bond refund is paid to whoever's name the receipt shows.

A county Bail Bond Board licenses them. Texas requires such a board in counties of 110,000 or more residents and allows smaller counties to form one. The board has to post its roster of licensed sureties in each criminal court and at the booking site (Occ. Code ch. 1704). Board rules, license packets and a complaint form sit on the county's Bail Bond Board page. Questions go to Courts and Administration, 109 South Jackson, Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5000.

• No state cap limits the premium, and the premium is never handed back.
• Every payment to a bondsman earns a receipt. Soliciting customers in the jail is forbidden.
• When the case is closed, the bondsman owes back any collateral within 30 days of being asked in writing.
• The defendant's lawyer of record is allowed to post bond as well.
• A bondsman giving a client back to the jail must first warn the client's defense attorney, then file a sworn affidavit (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.19).

Bail answers for one charge and nothing else. Before money changes hands, have staff at 972-825-4931 list every hold in the file. The common ones:

• Family violence. Where a magistrate believes the violence may continue, the jail keeps the person 4 more hours once bond is paid. A written order can extend that stay as long as 48 hours (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.291). The alleged victim gets notice before the door opens (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.29).
• Out-of-county warrant. A local magistrate can accept bail on it and send that bond along to the issuing county (Crim. Proc. Code art. 15.18).
• Parole "blue warrant." A parolee stays in custody pending the violation hearing (Gov't Code 508.254).
• Fresh felony while on supervision. When someone on felony bail, parole or probation is accused of a new felony, an appointed magistrate may not release them (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.027).
• Bond violations. Breaking bond terms in a family violence or child sex case can lead to bail being denied (Crim. Proc. Code arts. 17.152, 17.153).
• Two cases at once. A city warrant and a county case are bonded separately.
• Immigration. An ICE detainer works differently, as answer 16 explains.

Nearly every accused person has a right to bail. The state constitution permits denying it in a capital case with evident proof. Narrower denials are allowed too, for some repeat felons, for a new felony charged during a bail release, and for breaking safety conditions or protective orders (Tex. Const. art. I, §§11-11c).

A newer section, approved by voters as Proposition 3 in November 2025, reaches aggravated robbery, murder, trafficking, aggravated sexual assault, capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, indecency with a child and certain aggravated assaults (Tex. Const. art. I, §11d). Here a judge "shall" deny bail when, at a hearing, the state proves either a risk of flight or a threat to others. The prosecutor alone can start this. If a judge allows bail anyway, written findings are required.

Two more 2025 changes help prosecutors. They may have a district judge take a second look at felony bail, and, in the violent cases the law lists, challenge a bail amount on appeal as too low, with the accused held while the appeal runs (Crim. Proc. Code arts. 17.029, 44.01). Local prosecution is handled by the County and District Attorney, 109 S Jackson St., Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5035.

Bail can be changed at the request of either side. The defense lawyer normally asks in writing, through a motion to the judge who has the case. Things worth bringing:

• proof of income and a candid picture of what the family can pay;
• a local address and relatives who live close by;
• a job, school schedule or treatment plan;
• terms the accused is ready to follow, like a curfew or a no-contact order.

Long waits also matter. When the state can't announce ready for trial in time, the accused must get a personal bond or reduced bail, with some exceptions (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.151). The limit is 90 days on a felony, 30 on a misdemeanor punishable by over 180 days, 15 on a lighter jailable misdemeanor and 5 on a fine-only case.

Unsure which judge has the case? The District Clerk at 972-825-5091 can tell you for felonies, and the County Clerk at 972-825-5070 for misdemeanors.

There is no public defender office in this county. People who can't afford counsel get private lawyers through the Indigent Defense Coordinator under a written plan filed with the state. The best moment to ask is at the magistrate hearing. The magistrate assists with the request and forwards it within a day. State law then sets a deadline of one or three working days, depending on county size (Crim. Proc. Code arts. 1.051, 15.17). After that, the attorney must try to reach the client no later than the next business day's close (Crim. Proc. Code art. 26.04).

• Indigent Defense Coordinator, 109 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5385; Spanish line 972-825-5482. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Already released? Complete the Application for Court Appointed Attorney. If you email or mail it, have it notarized first.
• The county's full plan is on file with the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.

Court clerks and the prosecutor share the Courts and Administration building, 109 South Jackson, Waxahachie, TX 75165, main number 972-825-5000.

• Felony courts: the 40th, 378th, 443rd and 504th Judicial District Courts. Records sit with the District Clerk, 109 S Jackson St., Second Floor, Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5091, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Misdemeanor courts: DWI, theft, assault and other Class A or B cases go before the second and third County Courts at Law. The County Clerk's Criminal Misdemeanor Division keeps those records in the same building, 972-825-5062, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Class C cases land in justice of the peace courts. Phone numbers: Precinct 1 at 972-825-5319, Precinct 2 at 972-825-5022, Precinct 3 at 972-825-5030 and Precinct 4 at 972-825-5310. Phone ahead to get the street address.
• Municipal courts handle Class C tickets written by their own city's officers. The court's name appears on the ticket.
• U.S. District Court, Dallas Division, for federal charges: 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1452, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-753-2200.

When the case closes and the bond terms were honored, the money returns to the person named on the cash receipt (Crim. Proc. Code art. 17.02). A fee of 5%, capped at $50, may be kept by the clerk, but that fee is allowed only after a conviction or a deferred adjudication order. The clerk may also apply the cash to court costs and fines the defendant owes (Local Gov't Code 117.055). A bond guide from the Office of Court Administration explains the details.

Missing court is what puts bail at risk. The judge enters a judgment nisi, which begins forfeiture (Crim. Proc. Code ch. 22). A surety escapes paying if the accused lands back in jail in time, meaning within 270 days on a felony charge or 180 on a misdemeanor charge. Failing to appear can itself be charged, ranging between a Class C misdemeanor and a third-degree felony, matched to the original case (Penal Code 38.10).

Money paid to a bondsman is gone for good. To claim a cash refund, phone the office holding the file: 972-825-5091 for the District Clerk or 972-825-5070 for the County Clerk. Bring the original receipt.

Personal items stay in jail storage and are released in the public processing area at 300 S. Jackson Street, Waxahachie, TX 75165, the same spot used for bonds. Phone 972-825-4931 to ask how money remaining in the inmate's account gets refunded, and whether the inmate must sign before another adult picks things up. Carry a photo ID.

Ennis releases property only on the inmate's written permission plus the pickup person's photo ID. Its released prisoners are collected from the Communications Center lobby at 1700 Lake Bardwell Drive, Ennis, TX 75119, 972-875-4455. Red Oak meets released prisoners in the police lobby at 547 N. Methodist, Red Oak, TX 75154, 972-617-7632. Deposits and account balances are covered in our guide to inmate funds.

This county sits in the Dallas Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The clerk's office is at the federal courthouse, 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1452, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-753-2200.

• A detention hearing comes first. Then a federal judge rules on whether pretrial release with rules is safe or whether jail is needed (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The U.S. Marshals keep federal prisoners until trial. Their Dallas office is at 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1657, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-767-0836. Call that office to learn where the prisoner is housed.
• The Federal Public Defender, 525 South Griffin Street, Suite 629, Dallas, TX 75202, 214-767-2746, takes many cases for people with low income.
• Sentenced federal prisoners appear in the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. Paying bail does not touch an immigration detainer. What tends to happen next:

1. A detainer arrives on Form I-247A. It is the federal request that the jail keep the person.
2. With that form, staff may keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas jails are bound by law to honor ICE detainers, except when the person shows lawful status (Crim. Proc. Code art. 2A.060). Under a 2025 law, Texas now expects every county running a jail to have asked ICE for a 287(g) partnership, with December 1, 2026 as the cutoff. To hear where this county stands, phone the Sheriff's Office at 972-825-4901.
4. Officers then transport the person to a facility tied to the Dallas Field Office, 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
5. Check the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Searching by A-number is quickest. Lacking that number, a name search also asks for the birth country.

For people sent from its lockup to ICE, Red Oak police advise calling ICE at 214-905-5829.

Time for a state jail felony is done in a state jail. Third-degree, second-degree, first-degree and capital terms go to TDCJ, the state prison system (Penal Code 12.31-12.35). New arrivals go through intake first, and TDCJ then assigns a unit suited to each one.

• The TDCJ inmate search works with a surname plus first initial, a TDCJ number or an SID number.
• Facility details are on our Texas state prisons pages.
• Some judges order probation instead. Here it is supervised by Adult Probation, 202 Clift St., Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5130, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Juvenile court in Texas takes youths aged 10 to 16. Seventeen-year-olds face adult court and the adult jail (Fam. Code 51.02). Officers have to notify a parent promptly. Detention must be reviewed by a judge no later than the second working day. For a child detained on a Friday or Saturday, that hearing must happen on the first working day. The court appoints a lawyer before that hearing (Fam. Code 52.02, 54.01).

Start with Ellis County Juvenile Services, 2272 FM 878, Waxahachie, TX 75165, 972-825-5400, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That office is the county's juvenile probation department. The county's small juvenile detention center, rated for 8 youths, is reached at the same number. The County and District Attorney files juvenile cases.