If you were arrested in Baytown, the case will almost certainly be heard in downtown Houston, not in Baytown. Every Class A and B misdemeanor and every felony filed after an arrest by the Baytown Police Department, the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, or DPS in the Harris County part of Baytown is prosecuted by the Harris County District Attorney at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, 1201 Franklin Street. Arrests east of Cedar Bayou in Chambers County go to Anahuac. Brian Foley and Luis Baez are former Harris County prosecutors who tried cases at 1201 Franklin for years, and our office at 310 Main Street is two blocks from the courthouse.
Call or text (713) 703-1718 for a free, confidential consultation.
Criminal Cases We Defend for Baytown Residents
Baytown's refinery and chemical-plant workforce, the Garth Road and Decker Drive commercial corridors, Lee College, and the I-10 East and SH 146 traffic produce a steady mix of the same charges we defend across Harris County:
- DWI — First Offense, DWI Second, and Felony DWI on I-10, SH 146, Spur 330, Garth Road, Decker Drive, and the Fred Hartman Bridge
- Assault Family Member, Aggravated Assault, and protective order and bond condition violations
- Theft and shoplifting from San Jacinto Mall, the Garth Road big-box centers, and the plants (employee theft and theft of materials)
- Possession of Marijuana and Possession of a Controlled Substance, including cases involving plant-badge drug screens
- Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, Evading Arrest, Resisting Arrest, and Criminal Trespass
- Solicitation of Prostitution stings along I-10 and Garth Road
- Robbery, Burglary, Murder, and other felonies
Why a Baytown Criminal Charge Threatens Your Plant Job
Many of our Baytown clients work at ExxonMobil, Chevron Phillips, Covestro, or the contractors that serve them. Those employers run background checks through TWIC and site-badge programs, and a pending DWI, drug, or theft charge — not just a conviction — can pull a badge. We understand the urgency: we move early to pursue dismissal, pretrial diversion, or a reduction to an offense that will not trigger a badge review, and we advise clients on what they are and are not required to disclose while the case is pending. A case that ends in dismissal and expunction can be lawfully denied on most employment forms.
Harris County or Chambers County?
Harris County (the great majority of Baytown, including everything west of Cedar Bayou, downtown Baytown, Garth Road, and Highlands). Cases go to the County Criminal Courts at Law and felony District Courts at 1201 Franklin. Harris County's misdemeanor bail rules favor personal bonds for first-time misdemeanor defendants, and the District Attorney runs formal pretrial diversion and marijuana diversion programs.
Chambers County (east Baytown past Cedar Bayou, the I-10 corridor toward Mont Belvieu and Cove). Cases go to the Chambers County Court at Law and the 253rd and 344th District Courts at the Chambers County Courthouse, 404 Washington Avenue, Anahuac, TX 77514. Chambers County sets higher bonds, and its district attorney prosecutes DWI and drug cases on I-10 aggressively. Baytown PD's jurisdiction crosses the county line, so a Baytown PD arrest can be filed in either county.
We confirm the county and the court on the first call.
What Happens After a Baytown Arrest
Booking. Baytown PD books at the Baytown Jail, 3200 N. Main Street. Class C cases post bond there and go to the Baytown Municipal Court. Harris County Class A/B misdemeanor and felony arrestees are transferred to the Harris County Joint Processing Center at 700 N. San Jacinto Street in downtown Houston; Precinct 3 Constable and HCSO arrests usually go there directly.
Magistration and bond. Within about 24 hours a Harris County magistrate finds probable cause, sets bond, and imposes conditions. In a family-violence case the magistrate will almost always issue an emergency protective order that keeps the accused out of the home. Having a lawyer before this hearing means an argument for a lower bond or personal bond, reasonable conditions, and no damaging statements.
First court setting. Two to four weeks after release. Nothing about guilt is decided; the case is reset for the State to produce the offense report, body-camera video, and lab results, and the defense begins.
DWI Enforcement in Baytown
I-10 East and SH 146 are heavily patrolled by DPS, Baytown PD, the Precinct 3 Constable, and HCSO, and Harris County runs No Refusal periods on holidays and most weekends: a refused breath test is met with a judge-signed blood warrant. Brian Foley and Luis Baez both served on the Harris County District Attorney's Vehicular Crimes Team and know exactly how these cases are built — the standardized field sobriety tests, the Intoxilyzer 9000 breath test, and the blood-draw warrant, chain of custody, and lab analysis — and where they break down. Every DWI arrest starts a 15-day clock to request an Administrative License Revocation hearing to save your license, which we handle in every case.
Baytown Courts and Agencies
- Baytown Police Department & Jail — 3200 N. Main Street, Baytown, TX 77521
- Baytown Municipal Court — 3200 N. Main Street, Baytown, TX 77521 (Class C misdemeanors and city ordinance violations)
- Harris County Precinct 3 Constable — 701 W. Baker Road, Baytown, TX 77521
- Harris County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 — Class C misdemeanors and traffic tickets in the Baytown area
- Harris County Criminal Justice Center — 1201 Franklin Street, Houston, TX 77002 (all Harris County Class A/B misdemeanors and felonies) — see our court-by-court guide
- Harris County Joint Processing Center — 700 N. San Jacinto Street, Houston, TX 77002 (booking, magistration, and release)
- Chambers County Courthouse — 404 Washington Avenue, Anahuac, TX 77514 (Chambers County misdemeanors and felonies)
Why Baytown Clients Hire Houston Criminal Defense Attorneys PLLC
Brian Foley is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and served as a Felony Chief Prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Luis Baez is a former Trial Bureau Chief. Between them they have handled thousands of Harris County cases from both sides of the courtroom and know the judges, coordinators, and prosecutors in every court at 1201 Franklin. We serve Baytown, Highlands, Mont Belvieu, Crosby, Channelview, La Porte, and all of east Harris County.
Call or text (713) 703-1718 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation.