Woodville, home of the Dogwood Festival, is the county seat of Tyler County, a timber county of about 20,000 people in Deep East Texas, not to be confused with the city of Tyler some 120 miles to the north. Class C tickets go to four justice of the peace courts or the Woodville Municipal Court, Class A and B misdemeanors to the constitutional County Court, and felonies to the 1A District Court (shared with Jasper and Newton counties) or the 88th District Court (shared with Hardin County). A single Tyler County Criminal District Attorney prosecutes both misdemeanors and felonies. The Sheriff operates a jail of roughly 40 beds in Woodville.
- Tyler County Jail (Tyler County Sheriff's Office), 702 N. Magnolia St., Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-2172; corrections (409) 283-6331
- Tyler County Courthouse (County Judge), 100 W. Bluff St., Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-2141
- Tyler County District Clerk (1A and 88th District Courts), 100 W. Bluff St., Room 203, Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-2162
- Tyler County Criminal District Attorney, Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-8136
Which court hears your case. Class C misdemeanors, punishable by a fine alone, cover things like a speeding ticket on U.S. 69 or U.S. 190, public intoxication, shoplifting under $100 and an assault by contact with no injury. They are filed with the Justice of the Peace for the precinct where the offense took place, or in the Woodville Municipal Court if a Woodville police officer wrote the ticket inside the city. Class A and B misdemeanors, including a first DWI, assault causing bodily injury and theft of $100 or more, are heard in the Tyler County Court by the County Judge; there is no county court at law. Felonies begin with magistrate warnings, go to a Tyler County grand jury and, once indicted, are tried in the 1A or 88th District Court, both of which hold court in Woodville on scheduled days.
Where pretrial inmates are held. State jail-standards figures from early 2022 listed the Tyler County Jail with a capacity of 43, and the Sheriff's Office says it also uses temporary holding cells. People charged in Tyler County who cannot make bail stay there while their cases move forward; if the jail runs short of space, some may be housed in a neighboring county under contract. Visitation takes place at the Tyler County Justice Center on Sundays and Tuesdays. For custody and release questions, call corrections at (409) 283-6331.
- Local courts in Tyler County (justice of the peace, municipal and county courts)
- Misdemeanor (for example, theft, a first DWI, assault causing bodily injury, criminal trespass)
- Felony (for example, burglary, felony theft, drug possession or delivery, aggravated assault)
- Violent felony (for example, murder, sexual assault, aggravated robbery)
- Juveniles (under 17) arrested in Tyler County
- Federal cases (U.S. District Court) from Tyler County
Local courts in Tyler County (justice of the peace, municipal and county courts)
Three of Tyler County's four justice of the peace courts share a building on West Dogwood Street in Woodville; the Precinct 4 court is in Fred, in the southern part of the county. The justices handle Class C cases, evictions, small claims and truancy-related matters, and they serve as magistrates who warn arrested people and set bond at the Tyler County Jail.
Justice of the Peace courts
- Precinct 1, 203 W. Dogwood St., Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-3631
- Precinct 2, 203 W. Dogwood St., Suite 302, Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-6320, ext. 236
- Precinct 3, 203 W. Dogwood St., Suite 303, Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-6320, ext. 235
- Precinct 4, 20316 FM 92 S., Fred, TX 77660 (mail: P.O. Box 576), (409) 429-9500
Municipal court
- Woodville Municipal Court, 400 W. Bluff St., Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-3255
Small towns such as Colmesneil, Chester and Ivanhoe generally rely on the Sheriff's Office and the justice courts, so a ticket written there usually goes to a justice of the peace. The citation itself names the court.
County and district courts
- Tyler County Court (County Judge; Class A and B misdemeanors and appeals from the justice and municipal courts), 116 S. Charlton St., Woodville, TX 75979, (409) 283-2281
- 1A District Court (Jasper, Newton and Tyler counties) and 88th District Court (Hardin and Tyler counties), sitting at the Tyler County Courthouse, 100 W. Bluff St., Woodville; District Clerk (409) 283-2162
Someone who loses a Class C case in a justice or municipal court can appeal to the County Court, where the case is heard again from scratch. Before paying a ticket, ask whether you qualify for a driving safety course or deferred disposition, which can keep the violation off your record.
Misdemeanor (for example, theft, a first DWI, assault causing bodily injury, criminal trespass)
Most Class A and B arrests in Tyler County are made by sheriff's deputies, Woodville police or troopers patrolling the U.S. 69 and U.S. 190 corridors. The arrested person is booked at the Tyler County Jail on North Magnolia Street.
Magistration and release
A justice of the peace, acting as magistrate, must see the person within 48 hours. The magistrate explains the accusation and the person's rights, asks whether he or she wants an appointed lawyer and can afford one, and sets bail using the public safety report the Damon Allen Act requires. Release options are a cash deposit, a surety bond written by a licensed bondsman, or a personal bond on the person's promise to appear. Conditions such as no contact with the complaining witness are standard in family-violence cases.
In the County Court
The Criminal District Attorney's office files the charging document, called an information, in the Tyler County Court. At arraignment the defendant can plead guilty, not guilty or no contest. People who cannot afford a lawyer are appointed private counsel by the County Judge under the county's indigent defense plan; ask at magistration or call the County Court at (409) 283-2281. A misdemeanor jury in Texas has six members, and the verdict must be unanimous.
What the penalties look like
- Theft: Class B from $100 to $749 (up to 180 days and $2,000); Class A from $750 to $2,499 (up to one year and $4,000).
- Assault causing bodily injury: Class A. A finding of family violence can bar firearm possession and enhance a later charge to a felony.
- Criminal trespass: usually Class B; Class A at a habitation or when the person carried a deadly weapon.
- First DWI: Class B with a range of 72 hours to 180 days and a fine capped at $3,000, though probation is a frequent result. A 0.15 alcohol concentration makes it Class A, and an open container sets a six-day jail minimum. License suspension, a DWI education program, a state traffic fine and an ignition interlock may follow, and the administrative license case runs separately.
Possible endings include dismissal, pretrial diversion, deferred adjudication, probation, a fine or a jail term. Many Tyler County misdemeanors wrap up within two to six months.
Felony (for example, burglary, felony theft, drug possession or delivery, aggravated assault)
Felony charges in Tyler County are handled by the same Criminal District Attorney's office that prosecutes misdemeanors. The two district judges who hear them each travel among several counties, so the Woodville felony docket meets on set weeks.
- Arrest and magistration. The defendant is booked at the Tyler County Jail and taken before a magistrate within 48 hours for warnings, a bail decision and a chance to ask for appointed counsel.
- Grand jury review. Prosecutors present the evidence to a Tyler County grand jury. A true bill (indictment) puts the case on the 1A or 88th District Court docket; a no-bill ends that presentation.
- Waiting in jail. If the State is not ready for trial within 90 days of a felony defendant's detention, Texas law generally requires release on a personal bond or reduced bail, except for certain violent charges.
- Pretrial and plea talks. After arraignment, the defense reviews the State's evidence and files motions. Most cases settle by plea bargain.
- Trial. A district court jury has 12 members and must vote unanimously. The defendant chooses before trial whether the judge or the jury will assess punishment.
Sentencing ranges
- State jail felony: a state jail term of 180 days to two years and as much as $10,000 in fines.
- Third-degree felony: two to 10 years in prison.
- Second-degree felony: two to 20 years, the level for most home burglaries and aggravated assaults.
- First-degree felony: five to 99 years or life.
- Drug possession or delivery: the level turns on the drug's penalty group and the amount, ranging up to first degree.
Prior felony convictions can push a sentence into a higher range. Deferred adjudication and community supervision are widely used for first offenders. Inmates generally become parole-eligible after serving one-quarter of the sentence, counting good time, while "3g" offenders must serve half, and no less than two years. A Tyler County felony usually resolves in six to eighteen months. Appointed lawyers are assigned by the district courts under the indigent defense plan; ask at magistration or contact the District Clerk at (409) 283-2162.
Violent felony (for example, murder, sexual assault, aggravated robbery)
Violent crimes are investigated by the Sheriff's Office, often with help from the Texas Rangers, and prosecuted by the Criminal District Attorney. Bail in these cases is often set beyond what a family can raise, and personal bonds are prohibited for violent offenses. Texas voters approved a 2025 constitutional amendment that lets judges deny bail in some violent-crime cases, so a defendant may be held without any bail amount at the Tyler County Jail.
- Capital murder: punishable only by death or by life without parole.
- Murder: a first-degree charge with a range of five to 99 years or life.
- Sexual assault: a second-degree felony that also brings sex-offender registration. Aggravated sexual assault is first degree, and certain offenses against children under six or fourteen carry a 25-year floor.
- Aggravated robbery: first degree; as a "3g" offense, it requires serving half the sentence before parole review.
Article I, section 30 of the Texas Constitution guarantees crime victims notice of court proceedings, the chance to confer with prosecutors and the right to address the court after sentencing. A violent felony in Tyler County commonly takes one to three years to reach a verdict or plea. Indigent capital defendants receive specially qualified counsel, frequently through the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases.
Juveniles (under 17) arrested in Tyler County
In Texas, juvenile court jurisdiction covers children who were between 10 and 16 years old at the time of the alleged act. Seventeen-year-olds go through the adult system and are booked into the Tyler County Jail.
From arrest to petition
An officer who takes a child into custody must notify the parents and bring the child to juvenile probation intake or another designated place, not to the adult jail. The juvenile probation officer serving Tyler County screens the case and can release the child to a parent, recommend informal handling, or refer it for a petition. The Criminal District Attorney files juvenile petitions. The county's juvenile board designates the juvenile court, which in Tyler County is the County Court or one of the district courts; the courthouse at (409) 283-2141 can direct families to the right office.
Detention
Tyler County does not operate its own juvenile detention center. A child who is not released is typically placed under contract in a certified regional facility, such as one in the Beaumont or Lufkin area. A judge must hold a detention hearing within two working days, and the child is entitled to a lawyer there.
Results of a juvenile case
- Deferred prosecution or another informal disposition for lower-level first referrals.
- Juvenile probation, sometimes with placement in a treatment or residential program.
- Commitment to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) if a felony is found.
- Determinate sentencing for serious offenses, with a possible later transfer to adult prison.
A youth can be certified for adult prosecution, generally at 14 or older for capital and first-degree felonies (and certain aggravated controlled substance felonies) and at 15 or older for other felonies. Records of juvenile cases are generally confidential, and eligible records can be sealed.
Federal cases (U.S. District Court) from Tyler County
Tyler County's federal cases belong to the Lufkin Division of the Eastern District of Texas. The division's courthouse is in downtown Lufkin, about an hour's drive north of Woodville.
- Clerk of Court, Lufkin Division, Ward R. Burke U.S. Courthouse, 104 North Third Street, Lufkin 75901, (936) 632-2739
- U.S. Attorney, Lufkin branch, 415 South 1st St., Suite 201, Lufkin, TX 75901; telephone through the Beaumont office at (409) 839-2538
- Defense: the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of Texas, or a private attorney from the court's Criminal Justice Act panel
When a case becomes federal
Federal prosecutors from Tyler County typically bring drug trafficking conspiracies, firearms cases involving people with felony records, internet crimes against children and federal benefit or bank fraud. Several units of the Big Thicket National Preserve lie in the county, and crimes on that federal land can be charged in federal court. A state arrest can become a federal case if agents and the U.S. Attorney decide to adopt it.
From arrest to sentence
Soon after the arrest the defendant is brought in front of a federal magistrate judge, who appoints counsel when needed. Release before a federal trial works differently from the state system, and bail is decided under the Bail Reform Act with no commercial bonding; the judge either sets release conditions monitored by U.S. Pretrial Services or orders the defendant detained, normally after a hearing held within three court days. When a case starts with a complaint, an indictment must follow within 30 days, and trial is due within 70 days under the Speedy Trial Act, subject to exclusions.
A guilty plea is the most common outcome. Sentencing follows a presentence investigation and applies the advisory federal Guidelines and any mandatory minimum. Federal prisoners earn limited good-conduct credit, serving roughly 85 percent of the term with no parole, and then begin supervised release. A trial requires a unanimous jury of 12, and appeals go to the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.
Finding a federal inmate
To find a sentenced federal prisoner, enter a name or register number in the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. A person still awaiting trial who is held in a county jail under a U.S. Marshals Service contract may also be listed on that jail's own roster. Cases against minors seldom reach federal court.
This page is a general overview of criminal cases in Tyler County and is not legal advice. Phone numbers, court schedules and jail practices change, so verify with the clerk before relying on them. To request a court-appointed lawyer, tell the magistrate or call the Tyler County Court at (409) 283-2281 for misdemeanors or the District Clerk at (409) 283-2162 for felonies.