Coryell County Criminal Defense Attorneys

How to Handle Criminal Charges in Coryell County

Cofer & Connelly, PLLC handles serious felony and misdemeanor criminal charges in Coryell County, Texas. Here’s what you need to know if you’re facing a criminal charge in Coryell County. 

Our firm is ready to get started on your case right away. Call us today at (512) 991-0576 to arrange a consultation with our criminal team.

Background on Coryell County

Coryell County is located west of Waco, Texas and north of the Fort Cavazos. About 83,000 people live in Coryell County with the majority of residents in and around Copperas Cove, while the County seat is located in Gatesville. Parts of Copperas Cove, Fort Cavazos, and McGregor fall within Coryell County and within the neighboring counties, so it can be important to check the specific location of a situation to know which county a case may be located in.

The largest law enforcement agencies in Coryell County are the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office which handles cases across the county and in its unincorporated areas, followed by the Copperas Cove Police Department which oversees Coryell County’s largest city. Other significant agencies in the county are the Gatesville Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety. Each of these agencies handle cases from on-scene investigations and arrests, follow up investigations, executions of warrants throughout Coryell County, and providing evidence to the prosecutors for trials in the Coryell County District Attorney’s Office and County Attorney’s Office. 

If your loved one has been arrested in Coryell County, they are likely to end up detained at the Coryell County Jail, which is operated by the Coryell County Sheriff’s Department and is located at their main office address at 510 Leon Street Gatesville, TX 76528. This jail has a jail roster which is available to the public at https://coryellcountysheriff.com/.

Criminal Charges in Coryell County

Coryell County is a law-and-order jurisdiction. Criminal charges are viewed seriously by the community and the Coryell County District Attorney and County Attorney offices, particularly in felony cases where prosecutors make high prison sentence plea offers and juries brought to the Gatesville courthouse have been known to assess significant sentences upon conviction. 

Coryell County Attorney’s Office and Coryell District Attorney’s Office do offer Pre-Trial Diversion options for misdemeanors and felonies respectively but does so on a case by case basis at the discretion of their prosecutors. Due to the individualistic nature of these options for dismissals through these programs, Cofer and Connelly Attorneys work closely with our clients to collect strong mitigation materials to give them the best chance at dismissal options at any level of charged offense. 

Cofer & Connelly has a growing practice in Coryell County, where we handle both felony and misdemeanor charges, and routinely work on jail releases from the Gatesville centered detainment facilities, bond reductions, and criminal case resolutions for the sake of our clients. 

Coryell County Courts

Coryell County has 2 District Courts and 1 County Court at Law that handle criminal matters. 

The 52^nd and 440^th District Courts handle Coryell County’s felony criminal cases. These courts are housed nearby each other in Gatesville, Texas, but in separate buildings. 52^nd District Court in the Coryell County Courthouse located at 620 East Main Street Gatesville, TX 76528 on the second floor. The 440^th District Court is located across the County Courthouse Square in the Coryell County Annex located at 702 East Leon Street Gatesville, TX 76528. 

Honorable Judge Trent Farrell presides over the 52^nd District Court of Texas in Coryell County. Judge Farrell first took the District Court bench in 2008. Prior to that, he practiced both as a private attorney handling civil, family, and criminal law in Coryell and Bell counties. He later joined the Coryell County District Attorney’s office where he prosecuted felonies in their Gatesville office and after that with the Coryell County Attorney’s Office team. Judge Farrell is a longtime resident of Gatesville, Texas and graduated from the local high school, and brings that dignity and respect for his community to his professional practice as a District Judge. 

Honorable Judge Grant Kinsey presides over the 440^th District Court of Texas in Coryell County. Judge Kinsey first took the District Court Bench as an appointed Judge in late 2016 when the Court was first created and has retained the bench through the 2018 and 2022 election terms. He previously practiced as a Criminal Defense Attorney and as a member of the McLennan County Bar Association. He stayed involved in the Coryell County community through volunteer work for Coryell County 4-H and Gatesville Citizens Against Substance Abuse and as a longtime member of the Gatesville Lions Club. 

Coryell County has only the one County Court at Law, which oversees misdemeanor cases for adults, juvenile cases, and several other types of civil cases. Honorable John R. Lee is the County Court at Law Judge and has been so since 2010 when he first won election to the bench. Judge Lee has deep family ties to Coryell County going back 5 generations, and served in the United States Airforce before attaining his law degree and returning to Coryell County to work as an attorney in the Gatesville area. The County Court at Law is located on the first floor of 620 East Main Street Gatesville, TX 76528 on the first floor. 

Coryell County Prosecutors

Coryell County has a bifurcated prosecutor’s office, meaning that there are two elected prosecutors that oversee the Coryell County District Attorney’s Office and Coryell County Attorney’s Office respectively. If you or a loved one is charged with a Felony offense as an adult, that case will almost always be handled by the Coryell County District Attorney’s Office. On the other hand, if you or a loved one is charged with a misdemeanor or in a juvenile case, that case will almost always be handled by the Coryell County Attorney’s Office. These offices work with local law enforcement like the Coryell County Sheriff’s Department to decide if criminal charges will be brought, and prosecution of those cases in the District and County Courts up to and including trial. 

The Honorable Dusty Boyd is the District Attorney for Coryell County and the 54^th Judicial District. Mr. Boyd grew up in Texas near Crane and Upton counties before leaving the state for law school and returning to Texas to live in the Copperas Cove and Gatesville area practicing as a civil and criminal attorney. Mr. Boyd then travelled to Sudan on a UN peacekeeping mission before returning to Coryell County to join the Coryell County Attorney’s Office in 2008 and went on to win election to Coryell County District Attorney in 2012 where he has retained the office since. The Coryell District Attorney’s Office is located at 203 South 7^th Street Gatesville, TX 76528, on the opposite corner from the Coryell County Courthouse at the intersection of East Leon Street and 7^th Street. 

The Honorable Brandon Belt is the County Attorney for Coryell County. Mr. Belt’s office is responsible for misdemeanor prosecution in the County Court at Law and Justice of the Peace Courts and is located at 210 South 7^th Street Gatesville, TX 76528, which is down the street and across the road from the Coryell District Attorney’s Office. 

Contact a Criminal Attorney in Coryell County Today

If you or a loved one have received a Class C Misdemeanor citation, then that case will likely be handled in one of Coryell County’s 4 Justice of the Peace (or JP) courts. 

The Coryell County Justice of the Peace Courts are presided over by a Justice assigned to each precinct: 

• Justice of the Peace John Guinn (Precinct 1) 
• Justice of the Peace Bill Price (Precinct 2) 
• Justice of the Peace Jim Caldwell (Precinct 3) 
• Justice of the Peace Coy Latham (Precinct 4) 

Class C Misdemeanors are fine only citations for violations of one of the following Texas codes: 

• Traffic
• Penal
• Health & Safety 
• Education
• Parks & Wildlife
• Alcohol & Beverage

Contact our criminal defense lawyers in Coryell County today by calling (512) 991-0576 for a consultation. Our team is ready to help defend your rights!