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Your Round Rock Criminal Defense Attorney
Being arrested in Round Rock means the case lands in one of Williamson County’s criminal courts almost immediately: District Court for a felony, County Court at Law for a Class A or B misdemeanor, and which one applies shapes everything that follows. The specific classification a charge falls into, and what that means for sentencing and bail, is covered further down this page. Working through these distinctions early, rather than after a hearing has already happened, is usually the more effective approach.
Bail and Pretrial Release in Williamson County
Bail reform in Texas didn’t eliminate bail; it changed how it’s set: a magistrate now has to weigh the Damon Allen Act’s specific factors, and Texas Constitution Article I, Section 11(a) still allows bail to be denied outright for certain repeat or violent offenders. Short of that narrow denial power, every other case still proceeds through an individualized bail-setting process rather than a flat schedule tied only to the charge. That bail decision doesn’t happen in a vacuum: Code of Criminal Procedure Article 15.17 requires every arrested person to be brought before a magistrate within 48 hours, where the specific charges are read, the right to an attorney is explained, and bail conditions are actually set. Williamson County’s population puts it over the Fair Defense Act’s 250,000 threshold, which means an indigent defendant who requests appointed counsel is entitled to have an attorney appointed within 1 working day of that request. Failing to appear after release is itself one of the factors a magistrate weighs on any future bail decision, which is part of why the Damon Allen Act’s factors look backward as well as forward.
What a Conviction in Williamson County Could Mean
A conviction’s real consequences depend entirely on where the charge falls on Texas’s classification ladder: a Class A misdemeanor tops out at a year in jail and a $4,000 fine, while even the lowest felony tier, state jail felony, can mean up to 2 years without the possibility of regular parole. The felony tiers above that (third, second, and first degree) carry progressively longer ranges up to 99 years or life, each with up to a $10,000 fine on top of any prison term. A DWI with a passenger under 15 in the vehicle is charged as a state jail felony under Penal Code §49.045 regardless of whether it’s a first offense, a real escalation most first-time-DWI assumptions don’t account for. The more familiar escalation, Class B on a first offense, Class A with a mandatory 30-day minimum on a second, third-degree felony on a third, still applies to every other DWI arrest under §49.09.
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How Texas Grades Assault, Theft, and Drug Possession Charges
Assault under Penal Code §22.01 covers a wide range of conduct: a threat or offensive contact alone can be a Class C misdemeanor, while causing actual bodily injury is typically a Class A misdemeanor, but the charge escalates to a felony when the alleged victim is a public servant, a family member, or someone in another protected category. The dollar amount alleged to have been taken is what actually determines a theft charge’s severity under §31.03: misdemeanor tiers run from under $100 (Class C) to under $2,500 (Class A), while felony tiers start at $2,500 (state jail felony) and climb to $300,000 or more (first-degree felony). Texas grades drug possession by weight, not a flat charge: a Penalty Group 1 substance (§481.115), with cocaine and methamphetamine as common examples, is a state jail felony under 1 gram, escalating to a third-degree felony at 1 to under 4 grams and a second-degree felony at 4 to under 200 grams. Marijuana runs on its own separate scale under §481.121, starting at a Class B misdemeanor under 2 ounces.
Expunction and Nondisclosure Aren't the Same Thing Under Texas Law
Government Code §411.072 makes a nondisclosure order automatic for certain qualifying deferred adjudications after a 180-day wait, while §411.0725 requires a petition for felonies and other misdemeanors not covered by §411.072, two different mechanisms depending on the offense. Getting the wrong process started, filing for expunction on a case that actually needs a nondisclosure petition or the reverse, can waste real time, since the two statutes serve genuinely different situations.
Williamson County's Courts and Jail
Williamson County’s District Courts and its four County Courts at Law are both housed at the Williamson County Justice Center at 405 MLK Street in Georgetown, the county seat, with the Round Rock Jail serving as the county’s primary detention facility for arrests made anywhere in the county, including Round Rock itself.
You may also be near: our Austin page, the Killeen criminal defense resource, our coverage in San Marcos.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is bail set after an arrest in Williamson County?
A magistrate has to individually weigh the offense, the defendant’s ability to pay, public safety, and criminal history under the Damon Allen Act (CCP Art. 17.15), not apply a fixed bail schedule.
How fast does an appointed attorney have to be assigned?
Yes, the Fair Defense Act (CCP Art. 1.051) sets a 1-working-day deadline in counties of 250,000 or more, which includes Williamson County, versus 3 working days in a smaller county.
Can a Class C misdemeanor in Texas result in jail time?
No, a Class C misdemeanor under Penal Code §12.23 is fine-only, up to $500, with no jail exposure at all, the mildest of Texas’s three misdemeanor classes.
Is marijuana possession charged the same as other drug possession?
No, marijuana is classified separately under Health & Safety Code §481.121, not under the Penalty Group ladder other drugs fall under: under 2 ounces is a Class B misdemeanor, while a Penalty Group 1 substance like cocaine can already be a state jail felony at under 1 gram.
Does a DWI arrest affect a driver’s license before the criminal case is decided?
Yes, under Transportation Code §724.041, a driver has only 15 days from notice to request an Administrative License Revocation hearing, a civil process that runs independently of the criminal case.
How long does a Texas expunction actually take once it’s eligible?
There’s no fixed statutory turnaround, but a Chapter 55A petition typically takes several months from filing to a court order once all agencies with the record have been properly served and given a chance to object.
Don't Face This Alone
A criminal charge in Round Rock runs on real deadlines from day one, not a flexible timeline that waits for anyone to catch up.
