Texas assigns a case to a court by the most punishment the charge carries. In Parmer, that means four kinds of court:

• District Court owns every Parmer felony, low or high. The District Clerk keeps those records.
• County Court, run by the County Judge, hears Class A and Class B charges, the misdemeanors that can mean jail time. The County Clerk keeps those files.
• Justice of the Peace courts, sitting in Precincts 1, 2 and 3, take fine-only Class C cases.
• Municipal courts in Friona, Farwell and Bovina share Class C work for tickets written inside each town.

Parmer appeals that keep going past the middle tier end with the Court of Criminal Appeals, which rules last.

The courthouse at 401 3rd Street, Farwell, TX 79325 holds these offices:

• District judge's office: 806-481-3270.
• District Clerk, 2nd floor: 806-481-3419. Open regular business hours.
• County Judge, for County Court: 806-481-3383.
• County Clerk: 806-481-3691. Open Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3: 806-481-9964. Open Monday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., and Tuesday and Wednesday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Two more justice courts sit in other towns:

• Precinct 1: 617 Main St., Friona, TX 79035, 806-250-2412. Open Monday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Precinct 2: on US 60 in Bovina, 806-251-1356. Open Monday to Wednesday, noon to 4:00 p.m. Send letters to its Bovina post office box, number 896.

Short hours mean a call first saves a wasted drive.

Yes, all three towns have one. Each handles Class C tickets and city ordinance cases written inside its own limits.

• Friona Municipal Court: 617 Main St., Friona, TX 79035, 806-250-2198.
• Farwell Municipal Court: P.O. Box 338, Farwell, TX 79325, 806-481-3620.
• Bovina Municipal Court: mail to P.O. Box 720, Bovina, TX 79009, 806-251-1116. City Hall stands at 205 North St, Bovina, TX 79009. Court hours run Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. Citations can be paid through the City of Bovina website.

The county's justice courts take fine payments online through the Justice of the Peace page. Can't cover a Class C fine? A Texas judge may allow installments, community service worth $150 per 8 hours, or a full waiver. Jailing someone for an unpaid Class C fine is possible only after a hearing in which the judge decides the person didn't make a good-faith effort (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 45A.252 to 45A.261).

Within 48 hours of arrest, Texas requires a magistrate hearing, and video from the jail is allowed (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 15.17). In Parmer, that bench is filled by a justice of the peace. Expect the magistrate to:

• state what the person is accused of
• cover the warnings: hiring a lawyer, staying silent, having that lawyer during police questions, and stopping an interview whenever they choose
• mention the right to an examining trial, and that statements can be used in court
• explain how to request a court-paid lawyer, then help fill in the form
• set a bond amount on each charge (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 17.028)

When no probable cause turns up, a 2025 change makes the magistrate put that finding in writing within 24 hours (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 15.17(h)). Jailers who notice signs of mental illness alert the magistrate inside a 12-hour window (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 16.22).

On a jailable misdemeanor, the County Attorney's office usually files a written charge called an information in County Court. Arraignment comes next, where the person pleads. A plea deal may be offered. Texas judges must say in open court if they accept the deal. When a judge turns a deal down, the person may withdraw the plea (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 26.13). Other cases head to trial.

The ceiling for each misdemeanor class, from Tex. Penal Code ch. 12:

• Class C: a $500 top fine and zero jail days.
• Class B: a $2,000 fine, a jail stay of 180 days, or both, as the top limits.
• Class A: a $4,000 fine, a jail stay of one year, or both, as the top limits.

Judges can also use deferred adjudication. With it, no guilty finding is entered, supervision lasts two years at most on a misdemeanor, and finishing it cleanly leads to dismissal (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 42A.101 and 42A.111). Probation here runs through the county's Community Supervision and Corrections Department, P.O. Box 792, Farwell, TX 79325, 806-481-9456. Bad checks get their own track through the County Attorney's Hot Check Department.

A Parmer felony case usually moves through these stages:

1. Examining trial. Ahead of indictment, the defense can demand a probable cause hearing before a magistrate (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 16.01).
2. Grand jury. Jurors meet in secret, and nine must agree before an indictment issues (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 20A.301).
3. Arraignment. The defendant hears the charge in District Court and pleads (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 26.01).
4. Pretrial work and plea talks. Hearings on evidence, plus any plea offer from the District Attorney.
5. Trial and sentencing, before a judge or a jury.

Felony ranges set by Tex. Penal Code ch. 12:

• State jail felony: Parmer judges choose a state jail sentence somewhere from 180 days to two years long
• Third degree: a prison term from two years through ten
• Second degree: a prison term from two years through twenty
• First degree: a prison term from five years through 99, or a life sentence
• Capital: death or life with no parole, and plain life for someone who was under 18

Fines on these felony levels can reach $10,000. Earlier felony convictions may push a case into a higher range (Tex. Penal Code 12.42). A felony deferred term can stretch to 10 years.

Charges like murder or aggravated robbery come with extra hurdles in Parmer:

• Bail can be denied. The 2025 Prop 3 amendment, Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11d, lets prosecutors ask for no bail on certain charges. The list: aggravated kidnapping, murder, child indecency, aggravated robbery, trafficking, capital murder, aggravated sexual assault, plus certain aggravated assaults.
• No signature bond. A personal bond is off limits on many violent charges (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 17.03).
• State appeals. Prosecutors who find a bail too low in a listed violent case may appeal it, and the accused stays locked up until the appeals court rules (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 44.01).
• Family violence. At magistration, a Parmer magistrate may issue an emergency protective order. Its length: 61 to 91 days normally, and 91 to 121 when the case involved serious injury or a weapon (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 17.292). Before release, the alleged victim gets notice (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 17.29).
• Little room for deferral. Most murder charges can't get deferred adjudication (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 42A.102).

Charges in Parmer come from two prosecutor offices:

• District Attorney, for felonies, plus juvenile matters and protective orders: 623 W. American Blvd., Muleshoe, TX 79347, 806-272-4205.
• County Attorney, for misdemeanors, juvenile offenders, protective orders and hot checks: 402 3rd St., Farwell, TX 79325, 806-481-3361.

At magistration, a defendant short on money should ask the Parmer magistrate for appointed counsel (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 1.051, 26.04). Defense help in this county comes from these programs:

• High Plains Regional Public Defender's Office in Plainview, 806-598-6886, which lists Parmer in its service area.
• Panhandle Area managed assigned counsel program, 900 S. Polk, Suite 206, Amarillo, TX 79101, 806-242-3415.

The Texas Indigent Defense Commission posts each county's appointment plan on its plan lookup page. Questions about the program go to 512-936-6994.

Calling beats searching. Read the legal name and birth date to the clerk that matches the charge:

• Felony: District Clerk, 806-481-3419
• Class A or B misdemeanor: County Clerk, 806-481-3691
• Class C ticket: the justice court or municipal court that wrote it, listed above

Online, the statewide re:SearchTX system shows filed criminal cases from district and county courts after a free sign-up. Look there for the cause number, the court's name, the charging document and any judgment. For hearing settings, though, Parmer's clerks stay the source. For a paid statewide check of past convictions, Texas DPS runs a conviction name search.

Parmer deputies carry out warrants countywide; ask about one at 806-481-3303. In town, local police also serve them: Friona Police, 521 Euclid, Friona, TX 79035, 806-250-2711, and Bovina Police, 205 North St, Bovina, TX 79009, 806-251-1116. Many local warrants are signed by the justices of the peace. Statewide fugitives are posted on the state police's Texas 10 Most Wanted list. To clear one, hire or ask for a defense lawyer, then surrender to the Parmer court that signed it, or call its clerk about another date. The District Clerk handles felony warrant files at 401 3rd Street, 2nd Floor, Farwell, TX 79325, 806-481-3419.

Federal crimes charged in Parmer are heard by the federal court's Amarillo Division, part of the Northern District. Its clerk works at 205 SE 5th Avenue, Room 133, Amarillo, TX 79101, 806-468-3800.

• Whether a federal defendant goes home before trial is the call of a magistrate judge at a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The U.S. Marshals office in Amarillo, 205 SE 5th Street, Unit 214, Amarillo, TX 79101, 806-324-2350, transports and houses federal detainees and knows their jail.
• For appointed federal defense, contact the Federal Public Defender office, 600 S. Tyler Street, Suite 2300, Amarillo, TX 79101, 806-324-2370.
• After a prison sentence, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows where the person is.

The Parmer charge keeps moving even with a detainer, but release day changes. In order:

1. Immigration agents send Form I-247A, a request that the Farwell jail hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. Texas jails must go along with it. Under Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 2A.060, the Farwell jail lets go only after it sees proof of citizenship or lawful status.
3. No Texas county or city may limit immigration enforcement by policy (Tex. Gov't Code 752.053).
4. A 2025 Texas law requires counties with jails to enter 287(g) agreements with ICE, due December 1, 2026. The Parmer Sheriff's Office, 806-481-3303, can explain its status.
5. Judges must warn a non-citizen, before taking a guilty plea, that it could bring deportation (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 26.13).
6. Once ICE takes custody, find the person on the ICE Online Detainee Locator by name and country of birth.

District Court prison terms put the person in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice unit, while state jail felony terms are served in a state jail (Tex. Penal Code 12.35). Once sentenced, a Parmer defendant normally sits in the Farwell jail until the state sends for them. The state does intake first, then picks a unit based on its review.

• Track the person with the TDCJ offender search. It covers people inside TDCJ units right now, and each record runs at least 24 hours behind.
• Learn more on our Texas state prisons page.

In Texas, juvenile court is for kids at least 10 and not yet 17. Someone 17 or older facing a new charge goes to adult court (Tex. Family Code 51.02). Parents must hear promptly from the officer (Tex. Family Code 52.02). For a child kept in custody, the second working day is the deadline for a lawyer and a judge's hearing on detention, under Tex. Family Code 54.01. Some serious felonies let a judge certify a child who is 14 or 15 for adult court after a full study and hearing (Tex. Family Code 54.02).

The Bailey/Parmer County Juvenile Probation Department, 300 S. 1st, Suite 308, Muleshoe, TX 79347, 806-272-3316, can tell parents which center has the child and when court meets. Both county prosecutors list juvenile cases among their duties.

Texas gives victims a list of rights (Tex. Crim. Proc. Code 56A.051). They include:

• a magistrate who considers their safety in setting bail
• advance word of hearings, on request
• a victim impact statement before sentencing
• a waiting spot apart from the accused before testifying

The District Attorney posts a Victim's Rights page. The County Attorney's office has a Crime Victim's Coordinator; call 806-481-3361.

Sign up for free custody alerts with Texas IVSS-Counties on its website or at 866-268-8959. The Attorney General's Crime Victims' Compensation program may reimburse up to $50,000 for doctor bills, therapy and missed wages. Use the online application or dial 800-983-9933.