Andrews County DWI Guide

Andrews County's economy runs on oil and gas, which means an unusually large share of the people driving through here hold a commercial driver's license. For them, a DWI arrest isn't just a criminal charge — federal CDL rules trigger a much harsher administrative suspension than a standard license faces, and that suspension can end a career in the oilfield outright. An Occupational Driver's License, the usual workaround for a suspended license, explicitly cannot authorize driving a commercial vehicle, so there's no safety net for CDL holders the way there is for everyone else.

Getting the Car Back

Andrews County has no local impound lot of its own — vehicles go through a rotation of regional towing contractors, and the car often ends up 30-40 miles away in Midland or Big Spring rather than anywhere near Andrews itself. Action Wrecker Service and Midland TX Towing are among the regional operators handling these tows. Calling the Sheriff's dispatch or the Andrews PD Records Division is the fastest way to trace which specific contractor picked up the vehicle if the tow slip got lost in the chaos of the arrest.

Storage runs $22.85 a day for standard vehicles with a $255-272 tow cap and a $50 notification fee once a certified letter goes out after 24 hours. The 12-hour grace window applies the same way it does statewide — a car towed at 11:30 p.m. Friday and picked up by 9 a.m. Saturday should only be billed for one day despite crossing midnight. Calling the VSF an hour ahead of arrival legally forces the facility to have someone available, a real workaround for the "lunch break" excuse rural lots love to use. One right worth knowing regardless of finances: anyone can access the impounded vehicle to retrieve personal belongings like keys, documents, or medication completely free of charge, even before paying a cent of the towing bill — the lot can hold the car under its lien, but it can't hold personal property hostage.

Jail and Bond

Everyone books into the Andrews County Jail on SE 401, and processing runs 4-8 hours normally, stretching to 18-24+ hours during a "No Refusal" holiday surge when magistrates and jail staff get backed up. Release freezes completely during the standard 6 a.m./6 p.m. shift changes. Almost no DWI defendant in this county gets a personal recognizance bond — nearly all releases go through a cash or surety bond. First-offense bail typically runs $500-2,500, second offense $2,500-5,000, felony charges $5,000-15,000 or more. Bond premiums are state-regulated at a flat 10% — a bondsman legitimately can't charge more just because the arrest happened on a holiday weekend, worth knowing if anyone tries.

Court

Misdemeanor DWI goes to the Andrews County Court under Judge Sam Jones; felony cases go to the 109th District Court under Judge John L. Pool. The courthouse recently tightened security to a single entry point on the east side facing Main Street, with full X-ray and metal-detector screening — arriving 30-45 minutes early is genuinely necessary now to clear that one chokepoint before a docket call. The dress code and phone rules are strictly enforced, and Texas law layers a mandatory state fine on top of everything else, entirely independent of judicial discretion: $3,000 for a first conviction, $4,000 for a second, and $5,000 outright if the BAC came back at 0.15% or higher — on top of roughly $270 in standard local court costs.

There's no standalone DWI or SOBER court here. Pre-trial diversion is available through the county's Community Supervision Corrections Department for eligible non-violent, first-time offenders with no diversion failure in the past year.

The License Suspension Clock

A refused test carries a 180-day suspension (2 years for a repeat refusal) and a failed test carries 90 days (1 year for a repeat failure) — either way, there are exactly 15 calendar days to request an ALR hearing. Miss it, and the suspension activates automatically on day 40. In blood-draw cases, DPS doesn't mail the suspension notice until lab results actually confirm the BAC, which can create a false sense of security — the 15-day clock only starts once that notice goes out, so keeping a current address on file with DPS matters more than it might seem. Filing on time doesn't just delay the suspension: scheduling for the actual hearing can take up to 120 days, meaning months of continued driving privileges under a temporary permit while the case is pending.

Compliance and Local Resources

There's no ignition interlock installer inside Andrews County itself — Intoxalock maintains certified centers through host locations in Odessa and Midland, roughly 35-40 miles south, and appointments are required since walk-in installs are rarely accommodated given the technical work involved. SCRAM continuous monitoring, when ordered, runs through a regional provider covering the Midland/Odessa hub.

For DWI education and substance abuse assessment, a regional behavioral health center operates an Andrews location that handles both. Ongoing probation drug and alcohol testing is available locally through a national testing provider's Andrews clinic. Court-mandated AA attendance can be satisfied through the 1910 Group, which meets weekday mornings in Andrews — early enough to work around a typical oilfield shift schedule.

Sources

• Andrews County Court
• 109th District Court of Texas
• Andrews County Sheriff's Office
• Texas DPS Administrative License Revocation Program
• TDLR VSF Fees and Other Charges