Search free Hays County arrest records to verify specific details on why and when a person was detained, the law enforcement agency involved, and information on their incarceration or custody status.
Citizens are afforded the right to access this information because of Texas’ Public Information Act. Regardless of your reason for wanting to look up arrest records, you are granted that right under this state statute.
Knowing who hosts this information and how to view or obtain details is key to an effective and seamless search for arrest records in Hays County, Texas; this streamlined resource holds all you need for a quick lookup.
This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.
How To Look Up Current Hays County Arrest Records & Mugshots for Free
If you are trying to figure out how to look up a person’s arrest record in Hays County, you can perform an online jail record search.
To use this online search tool, you have the option to access a person’s jail record by their booking number or name. When you conduct a name search, there is also the choice to include the person’s date of birth (if available).
If you are searching for a common name, you may want to narrow your search results. You can do that with this tool by setting a date range for either when the offender was booked or when they were released. Once you enter your search criteria, you will be taken to the results page.
The results page will provide you with the following information for all matching jail records:
- Booking number
- Jail where they are or were incarcerated
- Offender’s name
- Offender’s date of birth
- Booking date
- Released date (if applicable)
- Arresting agency
- Charge(s)
If you click on the person’s booking number, you can view their complete online jail record. Here, you can get additional information about the inmate, including their address and physical description (e.g., weight, height, eye color, hair color, and sex).
In the section below, you will be able to see specific information related to their arrest. You can view their warrant number, a description of their charge and the issuing authority. There is also information on the offense date and whether or not there are any fines or costs associated with the person’s charges.
Lastly, you can get information on any bonds (type and amount) as well as the disposition of the charges.
Hays County also has a Jail Bond Records Search Tool if you specifically want to look up this type of information.1 You can search in the same way you did to look up jail records; only the results will specifically focus on bond information.
In addition to these online search tools, you can also submit a records request with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. The easiest option is to submit an online public records request.2
With this tool, you have the benefit of being able to track the status of your public records request and view data from past requests you have submitted.
For additional information on requesting arrest and jail records, you can contact the Hays County Sheriff’s Office by phone at 512-393-7800.3 You can also go in person to the address below:
Hays County Sheriff’s Office
810 S. Stagecoach Trail
San Marcos, Texas 78666
Another option for inmate or arrest information is to reach out to the Hays County Jail.4 You can contact them by phone at 512-393-7800 or by going in person to the address below:
Hays County Jail
1307 Uhland Rd.
San Marcos, Texas 78666
Searching for arrest records allows you to search broadly across several cities at once. However, there are occasions when you may want to reach out directly to a local police department for this information.
It may be that you need a detailed police report, which may only be available to the local arresting agency. Or, the person may have just been arrested, and the information has not yet been transmitted to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
Regardless of your reason, you can access arrest and jail records at the city level. For example, you can request arrest records from the Kyle Police Department. Kyle is the largest city by population in Hays County.
One option is to submit an Open Records Request with the Kyle Police Department Records Division.5 You can do this by submitting a records request online.6 With this option, you can submit a request from your house and track the current status of the record you are waiting on.
You can also submit a written request and mail it or bring the request in person to the address below:
Kyle Police Department
1700 Kohler’s Crossing
Kyle, Texas 78640
Make sure that when you submit a request, you provide all necessary information for the Kyle Police Department to locate the arrest or jail record. If you have additional questions, you can contact the Kyle Police Department at the address above or by calling them at 512-268-3232.
One last option a person may want to consider is searching with VINELink. They are a third-party service that also can provide you with certain arrest information. These are great resources that you can use for arrest records in Hays County and further serve the goal of the Texas Public Information Act to make certain government records available to the public.
You now have the tools necessary to look up arrest records. However, arrest records do not usually provide you with the final disposition or what happened during the criminal case. The next section will show you how to access criminal records, which can provide you with additional information not found in arrest data.
How To Retrieve Information on Prior Criminal Activity & Arrests Made Within Hays County Texas
Sometimes, a person has a need for additional information beyond the initial arrest. This information may include details about a criminal case, the result and whether or not they are still incarcerated.
To find out this type of information, you can conduct a criminal record search with the Hays County Court Records Search Tool.
The first step is to click on the option to search criminal case records.
Once you get to the search page, you will be able to look up criminal case information by a defendant’s case number, name, citation, or the attorney that represents them. For name searches, if you have the person’s date of birth, you can include that. If you are unsure how to spell their name, you can check the “Soundex” option to search for names that match phonetically.
You can also include a filing date range or the case status (open or closed) if that may be helpful for your search. On the results page, all matching criminal records will display the case number, defendant info (name and date of birth), court and filing date. There will also be an indication as to the type of criminal case and its current status.
To view a particular record in full, click on the case number. The online criminal record will contain the following information:
Party Information: This will include the defendant’s address and physical description (sex, race, height and weight). You can also find information on any attorneys that were part of the criminal case.
Charge Information: Here, you can see a brief description of all charges and the applicable Texas or Hays County criminal statute. You can also view the level of the offense and the date the charges were issued.
Dispositions: This section will indicate any pleas, the results of the case and sentencing information.
Other Events & Hearings: In this last section, you can get a detailed listing of every court event in chronological order.
You can also reach out to the court that handled a criminal matter for additional information. For criminal cases with the Hays County Court at Law, you can reach out to the clerk’s office.7 You can contact them for record requests by email at [emailprotected] or by phone at 512-393-7735.
They are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. You can also go in person to the address below:
Hays County Clerk
712 S. Stagecoach Trl, Suite 2008
San Marcos, Texas 78666
For criminal offenses with the Hays County District Court, you can obtain records by sending a request via email to [emailprotected] or by going in person to Suite 2211 at the address above. For additional questions, you can call the District Clerk’s Office at 512-393-7779.
In certain situations, you may be able to search with local city government agencies for criminal information. Oftentimes this information is located with municipal courts that handle certain limited kinds of criminal cases. In Kyle, a city in Hays County, they have a municipal court that handles certain misdemeanor criminal cases.
To access criminal records, you can search Kyle Municipal Court cases online.8
You can use this tool to search by name, citation or docket number. The results page will provide you with summary information such as the date of offense, the individual’s name, the type of criminal case, and the current status.
You can then click the arrow on the right-hand side to view the complete online criminal record.
For additional information on accessing criminal information with the Kyle Municipal Court, you can call them at 512-262-3994. They are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You can also talk to someone at the address below:
Kyle Municipal Court
100 W. Center St.
Kyle, Texas 78640
One last option to consider is a search throughout the state with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Inmate Search Tool.9 This tool allows you to search throughout the state for a person’s offense and incarceration history. You can use this tool to search by a person’s name.
If necessary, you can also include the person’s race or gender. If available, you can also search by their TDCJ or state identification number.
After you conduct the search, you can view the person’s name, inmate number, race, and gender. You can also see what the current unit of assignment is and, if applicable, their projected release date.
To view more information, you can click on their name. Here, you can view information on their parole eligibility as well as a detailed offense history. The offense history will itemize all charges that were brought against the person.
In addition, you can view a summary description of these charges, where and when they occurred, along with when they were sentenced.
Lastly, you can view the amount of time they were sentenced to be incarcerated for each listed offense.
People use arrest and criminal record information for a variety of reasons. If you find out a person was recently arrested, you may want to help them post bail. The next section will teach you how to find a bondsman and post bail in Hays County.
How To Find a Bail Bondsman or Post Bail for Someone Arrested in Hays County
If someone you know has recently been arrested, you may want to help them post bail so they do not have to remain in jail while their case is being adjudicated. To do so, you should understand that you have two primary choices for posting a person’s bail. The first option is the self-bail process, where you do not use the assistance of a bondsman.
The self-bail process occurs when you post 100% of the bail with your own funds. You can post bail in the form of cash or a piece of property as collateral.
If the defendant follows all of the requirements from the court, including attendance at future hearings, your assets will be returned to you. However, if the defendant is a no-show, you may lose everything you posted for that person’s bail.
If this concerns you, an alternative is to choose to use the services of a bail bondsman. This is a great option if you do not have the funds to cover the bail or are concerned about whether or not the person will be responsible and show up for their upcoming hearings. With a bail bondsman, you can pay a fee (typically 10% of the bail amount), and the bondsman will take care of everything else.
They will post the bail and assume any risk for the defendant not showing up for future hearings or adhering to any other court orders.
With the above information, you are now prepared to assist a loved one or friend who has recently been arrested. You also have the tools and resources to complete a search of Hays County arrest records; if you follow the steps outlined in this article, you will be able to conduct an efficient and effective search of local arrests.
