Felony Bail Bonds in San Marcos: Bonds for Felony Charges in Hays County

Bobcat Bail Bonds writes felony bail bonds in San Marcos and across Hays County, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Once bail is set on a felony charge, we can post a surety bond at the Hays County Jail so your family member can wait for court at home. Se habla español.

Need help right now? Call (737) 414-0422. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Se habla español.

How do felony bail bonds in San Marcos work?

After a felony arrest, the person sees a magistrate, by law no later than 48 hours after the arrest. The magistrate explains the charge and sets bail and conditions where the law allows. Once bail is set, a licensed bail bond company can post a surety bond for the full amount, and the jail then processes the release.

Bobcat Bail Bonds takes that step for families in San Marcos, TX. You call us, we go over the charge and the bail amount, you sign the paperwork, and we post the bond with the Hays County Jail at 1307 Uhland Road. The jail says it handles bonds in the order it receives them and gives no set release time, so we will not promise one either.

A felony bond is the same kind of bond as any other. What changes is the size of the bail, how the court looks at it, and what we may ask for before we sign on.

What counts as a felony in Texas?

A felony is the most serious level of crime in Texas. The Penal Code sorts felonies into five groups, from capital felonies down to state jail felonies. If the Penal Code calls something a felony without saying which level, it is a state jail felony.

The punishment ranges for the four levels most families will see are set in Chapter 12 of the Penal Code. Here they are side by side:

These are the base ranges. Prior convictions and other facts can change them, and how they apply to one person’s case is a legal question a bail bond company cannot answer.

Why the level matters for bail

The level tells you how the law sees the charge. One of the things a magistrate must weigh when setting bail is the nature of the offense and how it was committed, so a higher level charge can mean a higher bail. It is still set case by case.

How a felony case moves through the Hays County courts

Felony cases in Hays County are heard in a district court. The county’s own page says district courts have original jurisdiction in all felony criminal cases, and its staff listings cover the 22nd, 207th, 274th, 428th, 453rd and 483rd District Courts. The Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s Office says it represents the State in all felony, misdemeanor and juvenile offenses.

Indictment by a grand jury

Texas law says no one has to answer a felony charge unless a grand jury has returned an indictment. So after the arrest and the bond, the case may wait for a grand jury before it moves on. Texas law also allows a person who has a lawyer to waive indictment for any charge other than a capital felony. In that case the charge goes forward by a document called an information.

What this means for the bond is simple: the case can take a while to reach a courtroom, and the bond stays in place the whole time. The person has to appear every time the court requires it. Missing a required appearance can lead to the bail being forfeited.

How bail is set on a felony charge

Article 17.15 of the Code of Criminal Procedure lists the rules a magistrate or judge follows when setting bail. They include:

• bail must be enough to give reasonable assurance the person will keep the terms of the bond, including coming back to court, but it must not be used as an instrument of oppression
• the nature of the offense and how it was committed, including whether it is an offense involving violence
• the person’s ability to make bail
• the future safety of the alleged victim, law enforcement and the community
• the person’s criminal history, including past failures to appear after release on bail

There is one rule families should know about. If someone is taken before a magistrate for a felony committed while out on bail for another felony, and both offenses happened in the same county, Texas law says only the court handling the earlier case, or a court it names in writing, can release the person on bail. That can change who sets bail and when.

Why collateral can come up on a larger bond

When we post a surety bond, we promise the court the full bail amount if the person does not appear. The bigger the bond, the bigger that promise. That is why a bond company may ask for collateral on a larger bond, or for a co-signer who agrees to share responsibility. It depends on the case, and we explain what we would ask for, and why, before you sign anything. If you are thinking of signing for someone, read our page on co-signing a bail bond first.

Bail bond fees are set case by case, and qualified applicants may be eligible for payment plans. Our guide to what a bail bond costs in Hays County explains how the pieces fit together.

What to have ready when you call about a felony bond

You can call before you have every detail. A bail bondsman can help you sort out the rest. These things help us move faster:

• the person’s full legal name and date of birth
• the charge, as written on the jail record, if you have it
• the bail amount, once it is set
• whether the person has any other open case or is on bail or probation already
• your own contact details, and whether anyone else is willing to co-sign

Our Hays County Jail inmate search guide shows how to look someone up and find the charge and bail. The jail’s bond information line is 512-393-7807. If the person was already on community supervision when arrested, our page on probation violation bail bonds in San Marcos covers how that changes things.

Talk to Bobcat about a felony bond

Our owner has years of experience as a bail bond agent and runner. We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and se habla español. We do not write immigration bonds.

You can start a bail bond online with the case details you have, or call us. For the full picture of how bail works here, read how bail bonds work in Hays County.

This page is general information, not legal advice, and it may not fit your situation. Bail law and local procedures change; the sources below show where each fact came from. Bobcat Bail Bonds is a bail bond company, not a law firm. We cannot give legal advice and we do not recommend lawyers.