Waller County Jail

A magistrate does. Texas law sets the deadline at 48 hours from arrest. Texas lets that meeting happen live or through a camera hookup from the jail (Code Crim. Proc. 14.06, 15.17). Waller's own plan for appointed lawyers repeats that deadline and leaves the bail amount and bond terms to the magistrate.

Over those few minutes a Waller magistrate will:

• say what the person is accused of and go over rights, like silence and help from counsel;
• offer a free lawyer and help fill out Waller's Financial Assessment Form, also titled an Affidavit of Indigence;
• read the public safety report on the person first, if any count is Class B or above (Code Crim. Proc. 17.021, 17.022);
• fit bail to that one person, choosing the mildest terms that still protect everyone (Code Crim. Proc. 17.028).

Any justice of the peace, municipal judge, county judge or district judge can fill this role (Code Crim. Proc. 2A.151). Booking at 979-826-8282 knows when the person is scheduled.

Bail in Texas splits two ways. Cash or a bondsman's promise stands behind a bail bond, while a personal bond rests on a signature alone (Code Crim. Proc. 17.01, 17.02, 17.03). Waller's search labels every charge with one of the types below.

• Cash Bond. Somebody pays the county the full dollar amount up front. The county holds it and can return it later.
• Surety Bond. A bail company holding a Waller board license backs the whole amount. Its fee is the company's to keep, win or lose.
• Personal Bond. Zero dollars today. The accused signs a written vow to make every hearing.
• Ticket-only release. When the only penalty is a Class C fine, a Waller magistrate can send the person off holding a written court date, no bond needed (Code Crim. Proc. 15.17(b)).

A personal bond can't be used for violent crimes on the statute's list or for a felon found with a firearm. Burglary, plus some drug felonies, may get one solely by order of the trial judge (Code Crim. Proc. 17.03). Repeat DWI brings an ignition interlock as a bond term (Code Crim. Proc. 17.441). Our statewide bail page adds detail on each rule.

Texas uses no single statewide bail chart. Instead, the magistrate balances (Code Crim. Proc. 17.15):

• a sum big enough to bring the accused back for court;
• a sum that stops short of oppression;
• what the accusation is and what reportedly happened;
• what the accused can truly afford;
• how safe the victim, deputies and Waller neighbors would be;
• criminal record, the safety report and citizenship status.

Good news for families: Waller's online search shows the real bond on each charge, with its type and status. When the bond field sits empty, the magistrate may still be waiting to see the person.

One rule does put a ceiling on bail. Suppose police arrested with no warrant and probable cause went undecided too long. Then release must come on a bond of $5,000 or less for a misdemeanor, or $10,000 or less for a felony. A person who can't raise it walks out on a personal bond (Code Crim. Proc. 17.033).

Booking works from the Sheriff's building at 100 Sheriff R. Glenn Smith Drive, Hempstead, TX 77445. Phone ahead, then follow this order:

1. Pull up the person in the jail search. Copy down the inmate ID along with each charge and bond.
2. Dial 979-826-8282 and request Booking.
3. Learn the hours bonds are accepted, which kinds of payment staff take, and the payee Waller wants printed on a money order.
4. Double-check that every charge has a bond and that no hold sits on file.
5. Arrive with government photo ID and the whole sum. Save the receipt; Waller pays any cash refund to its named payer.

Waller staff accepting a bond look up the accused's record first. When the charge is violent, the amount is never a jailer's call (Code Crim. Proc. 17.20, 17.22). Bail must come from a magistrate then.

Maybe. By law, cash bail counts as money deposited with the court (Code Crim. Proc. 17.02). So phone first, ask whether that office takes bond money, and ask whether the jail releases the person once the deposit clears.

• District Clerk, keeper of felony files: 425 FM 1488, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7735.
• County Clerk, keeper of Class A and Class B files: 836 Austin St., Suite 1200, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7711.
• Municipal court for the city of Hempstead: 1015 11th Street, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-8838. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Justice courts and city courts usually release people on Class C charges by personal bond (Code Crim. Proc. 45A.107). All four justice courts appear in the courts answer further down.

Phone the jail at 979-826-8282 before leaving. Ask which kinds of money Booking takes for bonds that day and whether any fee is added. Don't put cash in an envelope.

Two county offices state their own payment rules:

• For fines, the Hempstead city court takes a cashier's check, money order or credit card, and no personal checks. Its online ticket payment site handles fines, not jail bonds, and charges 5% on a card payment in full.
• For records fees, the County Clerk takes cash, debit or credit cards, money orders and cashier's checks.

Insist on a written receipt from any Waller bondsman, as Texas requires (Occupations Code 1704.305).

Waller has a county Bail Bond Board, and its page carries the board's Local Rules and the surety application forms. Only bondsmen this board licenses may write bonds here (Occupations Code 1704.101, 1704.151).

• The board's current roster of bondsmen must be displayed in each criminal courtroom and at the spot where people get booked (1704.105, 1704.107). Ask Booking to show it.
• No Texas law limits what a bondsman charges, so get the fee on paper.
• Bondsmen may not hunt for business inside Waller's jail (1704.304).
• Pledged collateral, say a pickup title, goes back to you inside 30 days once you ask in writing and all the cases have closed (1704.301).
• The person's own lawyer of record can act as surety on that case (1704.163).
• Before surrendering a client, a bondsman alerts the defense lawyer and files a sworn affidavit (Code Crim. Proc. 17.19).

Every bond is tied to one charge only. Waller's search sometimes gives a charge the status Temporary Hold. Watch for these:

• Paperwork from a different county. Waller magistrates may set bail on a warrant from elsewhere and forward that bond to the issuing county (Code Crim. Proc. 15.18). Some still need that county's okay.
• A parole warrant. State parolees held on a blue warrant stay in Waller's jail (Gov't Code 508.254) until a violation hearing is held.
• An assault on a family member or partner. Where repeat violence seems likely, Waller's jail keeps the person 4 hours beyond the bond posting, or up to 48 more hours on a magistrate's written order (Code Crim. Proc. 17.291).
• Federal or ICE holds. See the answers near the end.
• Several charges. Each one needs a bond of its own.

Before any money changes hands, phone 979-826-8282 and have Booking list every charge and hold.

For most accused people, bail is guaranteed. The Texas Constitution lets a court refuse it in a capital case where guilt looks clear (art. I, §11). Narrow exceptions also cover some repeat felons, people who broke safety terms, and protective order violators (§§11a, 11b, 11c).

Voters approved §11d in November 2025. Charges it reaches include murder and capital murder, plus trafficking and indecency with a child. Aggravated robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault are on the list, as are some aggravated assaults. On those, the court "shall" refuse bail after a hearing where the prosecution shows by the required proof that Waller's accused would flee or would hurt someone. Only the state may ask. Granting bail on such a charge anyway requires the judge to put reasons on paper.

Since 2025, prosecutors have a further option: a district judge's second opinion on felony bail (Code Crim. Proc. 17.029). Waller's prosecutor is the Criminal District Attorney's Office, 645 12th Street, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7718.

Lowering bail starts with a defense motion in whichever Waller court holds the case. Families strengthen that motion by gathering:

1. proof of work and a local address, like pay stubs, a lease or utility bills;
2. a list of children or other kin who count on the accused;
3. a truthful figure the household could gather, since Texas forbids bail that oppresses (Code Crim. Proc. 17.15).

Deadlines matter as well. If Waller prosecutors miss the trial-ready deadline, Waller must release on personal bond or lower the bail. The felony deadline is 90 days. A misdemeanor punishable by over 180 days allows 30 days, a smaller jailable misdemeanor 15, and a fine-only charge 5. A few groups don't qualify (Code Crim. Proc. 17.151).

Felony paperwork goes to the District Clerk, 979-826-7735. Misdemeanor paperwork goes to the County Clerk, 979-826-7711.

Anyone short of money for a defense attorney can say so when the magistrate sees them, then answers money questions on a sworn form. Posting bail alone doesn't disqualify anyone; it counts only for what it shows about their finances (Code Crim. Proc. 26.04).

• The magistrate passes the request along inside a day. Appointment follows within one working day in very large counties and three in smaller ones (Code Crim. Proc. 15.17, 1.051).
• Until a case is filed, Waller's County Court at Law No. 2 judge rules on misdemeanor requests and the district judge on felony ones.
• Appointed work goes to private lawyers on the county's contract rotation.
• For Waller capital charges: Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases, 806-696-3740, P.O. Box 2097, Lubbock, TX 79408.

Waller's District Clerk at 979-826-7735 hands out the request forms too. See the county's written lawyer plan.

How serious the charge is sets the court.

• 506th District Court takes felonies. Its records belong to the District Clerk, 425 FM 1488, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7735.
• County Court at Law Number One and Number Two take Class A and Class B misdemeanors. Those records belong to the County Clerk, 836 Austin St., Suite 1200, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7711.
• Justice Court, Precinct 1: 846 6th St., Suite 1, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7745.
• Justice Court, Precinct 2: 27388 Fields Store Rd., Waller, TX 77484, 936-372-2193.
• Justice Court, Precinct 3: 12620 FM 1887, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7637.
• Justice Court, Precinct 4: 32225 U.S. Highway 90 Business, Brookshire, TX 77423, 281-375-5233.
• Prairie View Municipal Court takes city tickets: 936-857-5327. Ask staff where court is held.

The county courthouse is at 836 Austin St., Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7600. Hempstead's city court appears in the pay-at-the-court answer above.

Waller repays a cash deposit to the name on its receipt after the case is final, if the bond terms were honored (Code Crim. Proc. 17.02). The Waller clerk can deduct 5% (at most $50), yet only on cases that end with a conviction or deferred adjudication. Leftover deposit money may also pay down fines and costs. Waller's fee comes from Local Gov't Code 117.055, the fines step from Code Crim. Proc. 17.53.

Waller no-shows are costly. The judge signs a paper called a judgment nisi, and the bail is lost (Code Crim. Proc. 22.01, 22.02). A Waller bondsman escapes the debt when the accused is jailed again inside the window: 180 days on misdemeanors, 270 on felonies (Code Crim. Proc. 22.13). Penal Code 38.10 makes skipping court a crime of its own, and its level tracks the original case: Class C after a fine-only charge, Class A after other misdemeanors, third-degree felony after a felony.

For a Waller refund, phone the office sitting on the deposit: District Clerk on felony cases, County Clerk on misdemeanor cases.

Ask about the account balance and the stored wallet, phone and clothes before release. Ring the jail at 979-826-8282 to learn how a leftover commissary balance is paid out and what time property can be claimed.

The Sheriff's website sends inmate deposits through Access Corrections, reachable at 866-345-1884. Bring photo ID for any pickup. Picking up on behalf of the person? Ask Booking if written permission from them is required. Our jail account guide covers deposits and leftover balances.

A federal judge in Houston decides. Waller sits in Texas's Southern District, Houston Division; its building: Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse, 515 Rusk Avenue, Houston, TX 77002, 713-250-5500.

• Federal law sets a detention hearing at the accused person's first court date, with a delay of a few days possible on request (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Until trial, custody stays with the federal Marshals, whose Houston office sits at 515 Rusk Avenue, Room 10002, Houston, TX 77002, 713-718-4800. Ask them which jail is keeping the person.
• For defendants who qualify, the Federal Public Defender works out of 440 Louisiana Street, Room 1350, Houston, TX 77002, 713-718-4600.
• Once a prison term is ordered, check the BOP inmate locator.

The bond still settles the state charge, but the immigration hold stays. In order:

1. ICE sends Waller's Booking desk a detainer, Form I-247A.
2. Booking may then keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas makes jails honor detainers. Code Crim. Proc. 2A.060 frees Waller's jail from one once the person proves to Waller staff they are a citizen or legally present; a Texas driver's license works. Since Gov't Code 752.053 took effect in 2017, no Waller office may limit immigration enforcement by local policy.
4. A 2025 Texas law gives Waller, along with each other county that keeps a jail, a December 1, 2026 cutoff to ask for, and enter into, a 287(g) contract with ICE.
5. ICE officers collect the person. The agency's Houston Field Office for southeast Texas is at 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816.
6. Find the person on the ICE Online Detainee Locator with a full name and birth country.

Penal Code chapter 12 decides the place. For a Waller state jail felony, the time is spent at one of the state jail units. Higher felonies mean prison with TDCJ (in full, Texas Department of Criminal Justice). The sentenced person waits in the Hempstead lockup for TDCJ transport. Intake staff then screen them and choose a unit.

• Search for a Waller relative through TDCJ's inmate search, typing a last name or TDCJ number. Data there lags a day or more.
• Every TDCJ unit has a Jail Exchange profile; start from our Texas state prisons page.

Family Code 51.02 sends a Waller youth to juvenile court when the alleged act came after the child turned 10 and before age 17. Anyone already 17 is tried in adult court. Juveniles skip the adult bail process.

• A parent must get word from officers right away (Family Code 52.02).
• Waller's juvenile judge reviews detention fast, inside a two-working-day limit, with a Waller lawyer for the youth named first (Family Code 54.01).
• Teens of 14 and up who face grave felonies can be certified. That means a move to adult court. Before that, a Waller juvenile judge holds a full hearing (Family Code 54.02).

To learn where a youth is held, ring the Sheriff's Office at 979-826-8282. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department can be reached at 512-490-7130.

Waller's lawyer-appointment plan names each criminal court, and the state's court guide sets what each level hears.

• Felony counts, state jail felony through capital murder, go before Waller's 506th District Court. Waller's District Clerk holds those files.
• Jailable misdemeanors, which Texas labels Class A and Class B, go before County Court at Law Number One or Number Two. Waller's County Clerk holds those files.
• Class C misdemeanors carry only fines. They go to one of Waller's four justice courts. City tickets go to that city's court.

A felony appeal moves to a regional court of appeals, and Texas's Court of Criminal Appeals rules last on any Waller criminal appeal. The County Clerk at 979-826-7711 can tell you which Waller court has a case.

Most of these offices are in Hempstead. Clerks work weekday business hours, so call before driving over.

• Waller County Courthouse: 836 Austin St., Hempstead, TX 77445, main county line 979-826-7600.
• District Clerk, felony files for the 506th: 425 FM 1488, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7735.
• County Clerk, misdemeanor files for both courts at law: 836 Austin St., Suite 1200, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7711.
• County Judge's office: 836 Austin St., Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7700.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1: 846 6th St., Suite 1, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7745.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2: 27388 Fields Store Rd., Waller, TX 77484, 936-372-2193.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3: 12620 FM 1887, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7637.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4: 32225 U.S. Highway 90 Business, Brookshire, TX 77423, 281-375-5233.

A Waller hearing may be held in a courtroom away from the clerk's desk. The court notice, or the clerk, says where to report.

They do. Texas gives each incorporated Waller town a municipal court, and the Waller justice court for that area can hear the same Class C cases.

• Hempstead Municipal Court: 1015 11th Street, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-8838. Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the window shut from noon to 1:00 p.m. Fines go in by mail, by phone, at the counter, or on the city's online payment page. A cashier's check, money order or card works there; personal checks do not.
• Prairie View Municipal Court: 936-857-5327. Prairie View's police department, listed on the same city page, is at 44500 Business Highway 290, Prairie View, TX 77446. Ask the court clerk which building hosts hearings.
• Brookshire and the City of Waller have municipal courts as well. The County Clerk at 979-826-7711 can point you to them.

Read the citation itself: a "municipal court" ticket belongs to that city, and a ticket naming a precinct belongs to that Waller justice court.

Each Waller arrestee is brought to a magistrate inside 48 hours (Code Crim. Proc. 15.17). The session is brief, frequently held by video, and nobody enters a plea.

1. The magistrate reads the charges. Waller arrestees then hear their warnings about silence, counsel and halting any interview. Felony suspects also hear about the examining trial.
2. The magistrate asks about a free lawyer. A Waller arrestee who wants one completes the Financial Assessment Form, which goes out within 24 hours.
3. On Class B or more serious counts, bail follows a look at the public safety report (Code Crim. Proc. 17.022).
4. Code Crim. Proc. 16.22 gives Waller's jail 12 hours to tell the magistrate about any signs of mental illness, so an assessment can follow.

Actual court settings in the 506th or a County Court at Law begin after the Criminal District Attorney files charges.

Waller misdemeanors start when the Criminal District Attorney files a Waller charging paper, the information. One of Waller's two County Courts at Law then takes over:

1. Arraignment. Waller's judge checks identity and hears how the defendant pleads; a written waiver from the lawyer can skip it (Code Crim. Proc. 26.01).
2. Pretrial dates for motions, sharing evidence and plea offers.
3. Plea or trial. When Waller prosecutors and the defense strike a bargain, the Waller judge tells both sides in open court if the deal stands. A rejected Waller deal lets the defendant take back the plea (Code Crim. Proc. 26.13).

Penal Code chapter 12 sets the punishments:

• A Waller Class A conviction can bring up to a year inside the Hempstead jail, a fine reaching $4,000, or both.
• A Waller Class B conviction can bring up to 180 days inside that jail, a fine reaching $2,000, or both.
• A Class C conviction brings no jail, just a fine no larger than $500.

Waller misdemeanor deferred adjudication can run two years, and finishing it means dismissal (Code Crim. Proc. 42A.103, 42A.111). If a Class C fine is beyond reach, Code Crim. Proc. 45A.252 through 45A.261 let a Waller court allow payments over time, accept Waller community service hours instead, or waive the fine.

A Waller felony case moves in this order:

1. Examining trial, on defense request, where a magistrate checks probable cause. It is lost once the grand jury indicts (Code Crim. Proc. 16.01).
2. Grand jury review. Indictment takes a vote of nine or more grand jurors, behind closed doors (Code Crim. Proc. 20A.301).
3. Arraignment on that indictment before the 506th.
4. Pretrial hearings covering motions and offers.
5. Plea or jury verdict, followed by punishment.

Waller felony punishments, from Penal Code chapter 12:

• Lowest level, the state jail felony: a Waller judge can impose 180 days to 2 years at a state jail unit. Each noncapital felony level also carries a possible $10,000 fine.
• Third-degree felony: from 2 years to 10 years with TDCJ.
• Second-degree felony: from 2 years to 20 years with TDCJ.
• First-degree felony: 5 to 99 years, or life, in TDCJ.
• Capital felony: death or life without parole for adults; life for someone under 18 at the offense.

Prior felonies can lift a Waller defendant's range under Penal Code 12.42. Under Code Crim. Proc. 42A.103, Waller judges may set felony deferred terms of up to ten years.

Yes. Grave charges change bail, appeals and defense:

• Bond limits. Personal bonds are off-limits on listed violent counts (Code Crim. Proc. 17.03), and Waller jailers may not fix bail on them (Code Crim. Proc. 17.20).
• Bail denial. A constitutional change Texans approved in November 2025, section 11d, covers murder, aggravated robbery and other grave charges. When Waller prosecutors win a hearing on flight or danger, bail must be denied.
• State appeal of bail. Since 2025, Waller prosecutors may take a bail they consider too small on a listed violent charge to the appeals court. Meanwhile the accused stays put, and the appeals court has 20 days (Code Crim. Proc. 44.01).
• Capital defense. Waller's capital defendants: Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases, 806-696-3740, P.O. Box 2097, Lubbock, TX 79408.
• Family violence. At the first hearing, a Waller magistrate may sign an emergency protective order (Code Crim. Proc. 17.292). Its length is 61 to 91 days in most Waller cases. Waller orders in deadly-weapon assault cases last 91 to 121 days.

The prosecutor. Waller's Criminal District Attorney's Office brings criminal charges in the county's courts. Find it at 645 12th Street, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7718.

Free defense. Waller pays private lawyers, taken in turn from a contract list of attorneys and firms. How it works:

• Request counsel before the magistrate and sign Waller's sworn Financial Assessment Form.
• Pre-filing, the County Court at Law No. 2 judge appoints in misdemeanors and the district judge in felonies; post-filing, the trial judge does.
• Code Crim. Proc. 26.04 gives a court-appointed Waller lawyer roughly one working day to make first contact with a jailed client.
• Pick up blank forms from the District Clerk, 979-826-7735.

Read Waller's full appointed counsel plan. The state agency over such plans, the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, is at 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

The Waller clerk holding the file is the quickest source for a cause number, the assigned Waller court and the coming setting.

• Misdemeanor files: County Clerk, 979-826-7711. Its criminal records reach back to the late 1800s. A name search costs $5; copies are $1 per page, with $5 more to certify. Cash, cards, money orders and cashier's checks are fine. Juvenile files stay closed.
• Felony files: District Clerk, 979-826-7735.
• Tickets: whichever justice or city court the citation names.

On the web, re:SearchTX shows Texas charges and judgments with free registration, though not hearing dates. DPS sells name searches of Texas convictions and deferred adjudications through its conviction database.

In Waller, deputies, constables from the four precincts and city officers all carry out warrants. Ask the Sheriff's Office about one at 979-826-8282. Prairie View police run a Warrant Division page. For the whole state, see DPS's Texas 10 Most Wanted list of fugitives. Texas offers no statewide public warrant lookup, so phone the Sheriff or the Waller court behind it. To clear one, walk in with a lawyer, or ask that Waller court for a new date or bond. Felony warrants go through the District Clerk, 425 FM 1488, Hempstead, TX 77445, 979-826-7735.

Waller's federal charges are filed in Houston, where the Southern District of Texas uses the Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse, 515 Rusk Avenue, Houston, TX 77002, 713-250-5500.

• Prosecution: U.S. Attorney's Office, 1000 Louisiana, Suite 2300, Houston, TX 77002, 713-567-9000.
• Defense: Federal Public Defender, 440 Louisiana Street, Room 1350, Houston, TX 77002, 713-718-4600, or a private attorney the court names.
• Release: at the first Houston appearance, a judge holds a detention hearing, which either side may delay a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142). Bail bondsmen play no part.
• Custody before trial: U.S. Marshals, 515 Rusk Avenue, Room 10002, Houston, TX 77002, 713-718-4800.
• After sentencing: the BOP locator lists federal prisoners.

The Waller case goes on, but the release day looks different. Step by step:

1. Waller's Booking desk receives ICE's detainer, Form I-247A.
2. Once the state charge no longer requires custody, Waller's jail may hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Code Crim. Proc. 2A.060 binds Waller's jail to honor it until the person proves to Waller jailers they are a citizen or lawfully here; a Texas driver's license can do it. Gov't Code 752.053 bars Waller from limiting immigration enforcement by local policy. And by December 1, 2026, a 2025 statute expects every Texas county with a jail, Waller included, to have sent ICE its 287(g) request, then signed the agreement if ICE accepts.
4. ICE then takes the person. Southeast Texas is handled by its Houston Field Office, 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator to follow the person.

In the courtroom, before any guilty or no contest plea, the Waller judge must tell a non-citizen, orally and on paper, that it may bring deportation (Code Crim. Proc. 26.13). Talk with the defense lawyer first.

Sentenced Waller defendants wait in the Hempstead jail for transfer. A state jail felony term is served in Texas's state jail system. Waller's longer felony sentences are served in state prison, where Texas Department of Criminal Justice intake staff assess each person and then pick a unit.

• On TDCJ's inmate search, try a Waller relative's last name, TDCJ number or SID number. TDCJ shows only people already housed in a unit, and updates come on working days.
• Waller families can browse unit profiles from our Texas state prisons page.

Under Family Code 51.02, Waller juvenile court handles conduct by a child of 10 who had not yet turned 17. Turning 17 before the conduct puts the Waller case in adult court.

• Whoever detains a Waller child, deputy or city officer, owes the family a prompt call (Family Code 52.02).
• Waller's detention hearing comes quickly: two working days at most, though a Friday or Saturday intake moves it to Monday or the next working day. Under Family Code 54.01, Waller names the youth's lawyer before then.
• Waller's juvenile judge may move a felony case of a teen aged 14 or more over to adult court. Family Code 54.02 makes the Waller judge order a diagnostic study, then hold a hearing.
• Waller's Juvenile Board writes its own plan for juvenile lawyers, listed on the state's Waller plan page.

The Sheriff's Office at 979-826-8282 can say where a youth was taken. For statewide questions, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is at 1711 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701, 512-490-7130.

Code Crim. Proc. 56A.051 lists victim rights in Texas. Among them: Waller magistrates must weigh victim safety in setting bail, and Waller victims may request hearing notices and submit an impact statement before sentencing.

• Case questions: Waller's Criminal District Attorney's Office, 979-826-7718.
• Release and transfer alerts: register with Texas IVSS-Counties, or phone 866-268-8959 around the clock. English and Spanish are offered, at no cost, and Waller inmates are not told who signed up.
• Costs of the crime: a Texas Attorney General program, Crime Victims' Compensation, covers up to $50,000 in medical care, counseling and lost wages. Phone 800-983-9933.
• Once the offender is in TDCJ: the TDCJ Victim Services Division, 800-848-4284.