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Your Weatherford Criminal Defense Attorney
An arrest in Weatherford, Texas moves fast: Parker County’s District Court will handle the case if it’s charged as a felony, while its County Court at Law handles it if it’s charged as a Class A or B misdemeanor, and which court applies depends on how the offense is classified from the start. How bail gets set, and how quickly an appointed attorney has to show up, are both covered further down this page. None of this is unique to Weatherford; the same three-tier structure applies across Texas, though the specific court a case lands in still depends on Parker County.
Bail Isn't a Flat Fee Schedule Under Texas Law
Personal bonds, surety bonds, and cash bonds are all still available under Texas law, but since the Damon Allen Act, the decision has to reflect an individualized look at the specific case rather than a one-size-fits-all number tied only to the charge. A prior failure to appear is itself one of the factors weighed on any later bail decision in the same case, which is part of why the analysis looks backward as well as forward. Article 15.17 of the Code of Criminal Procedure puts a hard 48-hour clock on this: every arrested person has to appear before a magistrate within that window, be told the specific charges against them, have their right to an attorney explained, and have bail conditions set. The Fair Defense Act’s counsel-appointment deadline scales with county population, and Parker County sits below the 250,000 threshold, so the applicable deadline is 3 working days rather than 1.
Penalties Under Texas Law: What a Conviction Actually Means
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 charge in Texas escalates by prior offense count: a first offense is typically a Class B misdemeanor, a second is a Class A misdemeanor carrying a mandatory 30-day minimum, and a third is charged as a third-degree felony under Penal Code §49.09. Separate from all of that, a DWI arrest also triggers a civil, administrative consequence: under Transportation Code §724.041, a driver has only 15 days from notice to request a hearing on the license suspension, or the suspension takes effect automatically.
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Assault, Theft, and Drug Charges Under Texas Law
A simple assault charge under §22.01 isn’t always the same offense: threatening someone or making offensive contact can be a fine-only Class C misdemeanor, while causing bodily injury is usually charged as a Class A misdemeanor, and certain victim categories, such as a public servant, a family member, or someone in a dating relationship, can push it to a felony instead. Theft under Penal Code §31.03 is graded entirely by dollar value: under $100 is a Class C misdemeanor, $100 to under $750 is Class B, and $750 to under $2,500 is Class A; above that, it becomes a felony, from a state jail felony ($2,500 to under $30,000) up through a first-degree felony at $300,000 or more. 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.
Parker County's Courts and Jail
Parker County’s courthouse sits on the historic Courthouse Square in downtown Weatherford, with the Parker County Sheriff’s Office and county jail located separately on Hogle Street and Jameson Street, all within Weatherford itself, unlike counties where the jail and courthouse sit in a different city from where an arrest actually happens.
Also serving: the Hurst criminal defense resource.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is bail set after an arrest in Parker 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.
Does county population really affect the appointment deadline?
Because Parker County’s population is under 250,000, the Fair Defense Act allows 3 working days to appoint counsel, versus 1 working day in the state’s largest counties.
Does a prior conviction affect how a new charge is sentenced in Texas?
Yes, Penal Code Chapter 12’s habitual/repeat-offender enhancements can raise a charge’s punishment range by a full degree or more for a second or subsequent felony, on top of whatever the current charge alone would carry.
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.
What happens if I don’t request an ALR hearing in time?
The 15-day window under Transportation Code §724.041 isn’t extendable; missing it results in an automatic license suspension taking effect on day 40 after the arrest, regardless of how the underlying criminal DWI case turns out.
Does a nondisclosure order remove a record from a background check entirely?
Not from every one: a nondisclosure order under Government Code Chapter 411 seals a record from public and most private-employer background checks, but the record remains visible to certain government agencies and licensing boards.
Time Is Not on Your Side Here
The bail hearing, the counsel-appointment clock, and every deadline that follows in a Weatherford case doesn’t pause while someone decides how to respond; the sooner those decisions get real attention, the more options usually remain.
