Caldwell County Criminal Courts

If you have been arrested in Lockhart, Luling, or anywhere in Caldwell County, the courthouse can feel like a maze, with one court for misdemeanors, three district courts for felonies, a single prosecutor's office handling both, and a driver's-license clock running quietly in the background. This guide explains how the Caldwell County criminal courts actually work: where your case will be heard, who will be prosecuting it, what the local process looks like from arrest to disposition, and what diversion options may be available. It reflects how these courts run in practice, not just what a statute says. Nothing here is legal advice or a promise about your case (every case is different), but it should help you walk in knowing what to expect.

Where your case will be heard

Which court hears your case depends entirely on the level of the charge.

Misdemeanor DWI and other Class A/B misdemeanors: the County Court at Law. Class A and Class B misdemeanors, including DWI, are heard in the Caldwell County Court at Law (Judge Trey Hicks presiding). One point that trips up out-of-town readers: Caldwell County has a single statutory County Court at Law, and it is not numbered; it is styled simply "Caldwell County Court at Law," with no "No. 1" or "No. 2." Per the county, this court has jurisdiction over all Class A and Class B misdemeanor criminal cases, and, sitting as the Juvenile Court, it shares concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts over juvenile matters. Misdemeanor DWI sits here: a DWI 1st (Class B) and a DWI 2nd or a DWI with a BAC of 0.15 or higher (Class A) are all Class A/B misdemeanors. The constitutional County Court (the County Judge) does not carry the criminal misdemeanor docket where a County Court at Law exists. The court sits at the Caldwell County Justice Center, 1703 S. Colorado Street, Lockhart; some proceedings are also held at the historic courthouse at 110 S. Main Street.

Felony charges: the District Courts. Felony criminal matters, including felony DWI (a third or subsequent DWI, DWI with a child passenger, or intoxication assault or manslaughter), are filed in district court. Three district courts serve Caldwell County, all with felony criminal jurisdiction: the 22nd Judicial District Court (Judge R. Bruce Boyer), the 207th Judicial District Court (Judge Tracie Wright-Reneau), and the 421st Judicial District Court (Judge Amanda Montgomery). The 22nd and 207th are shared with Comal and Hays Counties; the 421st was created to serve Caldwell County. The county does not publish which of the three district courts a given felony criminal case will be assigned to, so your exact court will appear on your notice paperwork and in the county's online records. All three district courts sit at the Caldwell County Justice Center, 1703 S. Colorado Street, Lockhart.

Class C, fine-only offenses: Justice of the Peace and municipal courts. Fine-only Class C matters (most traffic tickets, public intoxication, minor-in-possession, and city-ordinance violations) are not heard in the County Court at Law. Offenses in the county outside city limits go to a Caldwell County Justice of the Peace precinct court; Class C offenses inside a city's limits (such as Lockhart or Luling) go to that city's municipal court. Your citation will indicate which court applies.

Who prosecutes your case

Here is where Caldwell County differs from many of its neighbors. In counties like Travis, prosecution is split between two offices: a County Attorney for misdemeanors and a District Attorney for felonies. Caldwell County has no such split. A single unified office, the Caldwell County Criminal District Attorney (Fred Weber), prosecutes both felonies and Class A/B misdemeanors.

One office, both levels. That means your misdemeanor DWI and any felony DWI are handled by the same prosecutor's office; there is no separate County Attorney handling criminal DWI here. The office is at the Caldwell County Criminal District Attorney, 1703 S. Colorado Street, Box 5, Lockhart, TX 78644; phone (512) 398-1811.

How a first-offense DWI is generally handled. A first, non-aggravated misdemeanor DWI is prosecuted by the Criminal District Attorney and set in the County Court at Law. Whether any individual case is offered a reduction, diversion, or set for trial depends on the specific facts, the defendant's record, and the evidence, and no outcome is promised. This guide describes the options that exist here; it does not predict what will happen in any particular case. For current charging or pretrial practice, the Criminal District Attorney's office can be reached at (512) 398-1811.

The local process, step by step

Every case is different, but a Caldwell County criminal case generally moves through these stages:

1. Arrest and booking. After a DWI or other arrest, you are booked into the Caldwell County Jail through the Sheriff's Office (1204 Reed Drive, Lockhart; (512) 398-6777), which maintains the arrest and booking records.
2. Magistration. A magistrate informs you of the charges and your rights, sets bond, and imposes any bond conditions. Under Texas law this happens without unnecessary delay and generally within 48 hours of arrest.
3. Bond and conditions. Bond is set at magistration. Caldwell County does not publish a bond schedule online, so the amount is set case by case. Conditions in DWI cases can include no-alcohol terms, an ignition interlock device, or continuous alcohol monitoring.
4. The driver's-license clock (separate track). A DWI arrest starts a second, civil case against your license. You have only 15 days from the date of the notice of suspension to request an Administrative License Revocation (ALR) hearing from the Texas Department of Public Safety, or your license is automatically suspended. This proceeding is handled by the State Office of Administrative Hearings, not the criminal court; see the note below.
5. Filing and first setting. For a misdemeanor, the Criminal District Attorney files the charge and the case is set in the County Court at Law. For a felony, the case is presented to a grand jury for indictment before it proceeds in one of the district courts. Your first setting is largely administrative: appearances, scheduling, and confirming counsel.
6. Discovery. Under the Michael Morton Act, Texas's criminal discovery statute, the prosecution provides its evidence. In DWI cases this typically includes the offense or incident report, the probable-cause affidavit, dispatch records, breath or blood lab results, certified driving records, any EMS or hospital records, and dash-cam and body-cam video. Filing and exchange are handled electronically.
7. Announcement / plea dockets. Cases move through a rhythm of reset settings at which the parties announce status, exchange positions, and either continue negotiating or move toward trial.
8. Pretrial motions. Where the facts support it, and routinely in felony matters, the defense files motions such as a motion to suppress evidence, along with related trial-preparation filings.
9. Trial setting. If the case does not resolve, it is set for trial, with announcement practice governing how firmly a given trial date holds.
10. Disposition. The case concludes by dismissal, diversion, plea, or trial verdict, depending on its facts and posture.

Local programs

Caldwell County's published specialty-court footprint is narrower than a large metro's, so confirm current terms with the administering office before relying on any of the following.

• Veterans Treatment Court, 22nd Judicial District. The 22nd Judicial District operates a Veterans Treatment Court (court-supervised treatment and supervision for eligible veteran defendants) that covers its district, which includes Caldwell County. Admission is controlled by the District Attorney based on the defendant's criminal history and military records. In Texas, completing a specialty-court or diversion program generally results in dismissal and eligibility to seek an expunction, but the specific terms in Caldwell County should be confirmed with the Criminal District Attorney and the court.
• Pretrial diversion / DWI (sobriety) court / drug court / mental-health court. No Caldwell-County-specific pretrial diversion, DWI/sobriety court, drug court, or mental-health court is published on county or Office of Court Administration sources. Where such programs are offered in Texas, successful completion typically results in dismissal, but availability in Caldwell County is not confirmed. Current programs can be checked on the OCA Specialty Court Registry and with the Criminal District Attorney at (512) 398-1811.

Driver's-license (ALR) hearings. ALR hearings are civil driver's-license proceedings held by the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), not the criminal courts. The hearing must be requested from DPS within 15 days of the notice of suspension; a timely request stays the suspension pending the hearing. SOAH's main office is in Austin, with regional offices statewide; the office assigned to a given case is confirmed through DPS/SOAH.

What makes Caldwell County different

A few realities of practicing here are things a local defendant would recognize immediately and an out-of-town firm can miss.

One prosecutor's office decides everything. The biggest structural difference from a larger county is that Caldwell County does not split prosecution between a County Attorney and a District Attorney. A single Criminal District Attorney's office prosecutes both your misdemeanor and any felony. That changes how a case is worked: the same office that handles a first-offense misdemeanor DWI is the office that would handle a felony DWI if the charge is elevated, so relationships, positions, and negotiating posture carry across levels rather than resetting when a case crosses the misdemeanor/felony line.

One misdemeanor court, three district courts, and an unpublished felony rotation. Misdemeanor DWI is concentrated in the single, unnumbered County Court at Law, which makes the misdemeanor side relatively predictable. The felony side is the opposite: three district courts (the 22nd, 207th, and 421st) share the courthouse, the 22nd and 207th are also shared with Comal and Hays Counties, and the county does not publish which court a given felony criminal case will land in. That means a felony DWI can be assigned to any of the three, and knowing how those courts divide their criminal work is the kind of local detail that shapes where and how a felony DWI is defended. We defend both misdemeanor and felony DWI in these courts, including third-offense matters that are routed to district court.

The driver's-license track is a second case you cannot ignore. A Caldwell County DWI is really two proceedings running in parallel: the criminal case and a separate administrative fight over your driver's license at the State Office of Administrative Hearings, whose 15-day clock is the first hard deadline you face. Because that suspension can take effect while the criminal case is still pending, petitioning for an Occupational Driver's License (so a person can keep driving to work, school, and treatment, typically with SR-22 insurance and an ignition interlock) is often a necessary companion to the criminal defense. A firm that handles the criminal case well but ignores the license track leaves a client exposed on the deadline that hits first.

Serious DWI charges carry collateral consequences that reach beyond the courtroom. A felony DWI conviction (and sometimes a misdemeanor one) can carry consequences well past the sentence itself, including immigration consequences for non-citizens, professional-licensing and employment fallout, and the loss of driving privileges. A DWI arrest can also come paired with companion charges, such as a drug-possession count, that have to be defended together. Our attorneys handle those companion charges and provide Spanish-language services for clients who need them. None of this is a prediction about any particular case; it is a description of the issues a serious DWI charge in Caldwell County can raise.

Attorneys who appear here

Attorney cards to be inserted here: photo, name, bar admission and any board-certification notes, and Caldwell County experience.

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Charges we defend in Caldwell County

We defend the full range of criminal and DWI matters in the Caldwell County courts, including:

• DWI: first offense
• Felony DWI
• Multiple-offense DWI (DWI 2nd and subsequent)
• Underage DWI
• Drug possession and drug charges
• Assault

External resources

• Caldwell County official site (courts, clerks, DA)
• Caldwell County Court at Law (misdemeanor)
• Caldwell County District Courts (felony)
• Caldwell County District Clerk (felony records)
• Caldwell County Criminal District Attorney
• 22nd Judicial District specialty / Veterans Court
• SOAH driver's-license (ALR) hearings
• OCA Specialty Court Registry (verify current programs by county)

Frequently Asked Questions

Nearest Office

Our Austin office is a short drive north of Lockhart and the Caldwell County courthouse. If you have been arrested in Caldwell County, call for a free case review or contact us online.

Other courthouse guides

• Travis County (Austin) Courthouse Guide: The criminal courts of Travis County.
• Hays County Courthouse Guide: The criminal courts of Hays County (San Marcos).
• Comal County Courthouse Guide: The criminal courts of Comal County (New Braunfels).
• Bastrop County Courthouse Guide: The criminal courts of Bastrop County.