Austin Marijuana Ticket Process

Every day in Austin, individuals are given an Austin marijuana ticket for possession of marijuana. This marijuana ticket is part of what is known as the “cite and release. The “cite and release” process occurs when an Austin Police Officer or Travis County Sheriff’s Deputy issues a defendant a ticket for possession of marijuana, as opposed to physically arresting the individual and taking them to the Travis County Jail.

After an individual has been “cited” or issued a ticket for possession of marijuana, they will be required to appear at Travis County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 to formally take care of the processing and bonding aspects of their marijuana case.

After appearing in Travis County JP 5 Court, the defendant will next be sent to Travis County Pretrial Services where they will obtain and complete a personal bond for pretrial services to process. If I have been hired by a client prior to this appearance date, we will usually fill in and review the personal bond in advance.

Once the personal bond has been completed and processed by Travis County Pretrial Services, the step is to return to Travis County Justice of the Peace with the completed personal bond. The Judge will then review the personal bond and determine whether to approve the bond.

Finally, if the Judge has approved a personal bond for a particular defendant, that defendant will then be instructed to proceed to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office bonding desk where they will be processed and then released after various information is collected, including pictures and fingerprints.

This appearance process can take a few hours or even an entire day, usually depending upon how many other defendants are scheduled to be processed and Travis County staff demands. At the end of the process, you should be given an official court date for your misdemeanor marijuana possession case. If you leave early or fail to complete all of the steps listed above, a warrant could be issued for your arrest. If you fail to appear for your next, or any, official court date, a warrant could be issued for your arrest and your bond forfeited.

Austin Marijuana Ticket and Possession of Marijuana Defense Lawyer

If you are confused or unsure how to proceed, please call the Law Office of Kevin Bennett at (512) 476-4626. You may also contact the Law Office of Kevin Bennett through email.