Kenedy County DWI Guide

Kenedy County has no incorporated towns at all — just 350 residents spread across ranch land, with enforcement driven almost entirely by DPS troopers and federal agents at the Javier Vega Jr. Border Patrol Checkpoint on US 77. DPS logged 3 DUI arrests in 2023. Because there's no municipality, nearly every support service a defendant needs — a DPS office, bail bondsmen, IID installers — is outsourced to Kingsville, about 20 miles north in Kleberg County.

Getting Your Car Out of Impound

Juan's Wrecker and Truck Road Service, based in Sarita, runs 24-hour towing with about an hour's call-ahead notice requested; Cowboys Wrecker and Capital Towing RGV also cover the area. Texas caps a light-duty tow at $272 and daily storage at $22.85. If the owner reaches the vehicle while it's still being hooked up and the truck hasn't left, the operator must release it for a drop fee capped at $135. Retrieval requires photo ID and proof of ownership — a title, registration, lease, or insurance card listing the claimant as a named insured. If ownership documents are locked inside the car, or a third party is retrieving it, a notarized power of attorney or TDLR-approved removal form is required; either way, accessing the vehicle just to grab documents or personal property is always free. Contesting a tow means filing with the Kenedy County Justice of the Peace before the 14th business day, with a $54 filing fee.

Bail and Jail Release

The Kenedy County Jail in Sarita has no online inmate roster — checking custody status means calling the booking line directly with the arrestee's full name and date of birth, or using the statewide VINELink system. No bail schedule is published; a magistrate sets the amount individually, a process that can take up to 48 hours given how rural the county is. Personal recognizance bonds lean toward local residents with community ties, which puts transient motorists — a large share of Kenedy County's arrestees — at a disadvantage. No bail bond storefront operates in Sarita; agencies based in Kingsville coordinate directly with the Sheriff's Office for releases, charging the standard non-refundable 10-to-15% premium. Physical release itself tends to be swift once bond posts, though shift changes, meal times, or the single magistration judge's availability can introduce delay.

What Happens in Court

Misdemeanor DUI cases go before County Judge Charles Burns in the Constitutional County Court; felony cases go to the District Court, working with District Attorney John Hubert. Both sit at the courthouse on East La Parra Avenue in Sarita, where the Clerk's office stays open through lunch, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There's no online case lookup specific to Kenedy County — records go through the statewide re:SearchTX portal or a direct call to the clerk. Security here is unusually strict: cell phones are banned past the checkpoint entirely, with lockers at the entrance holding visitors' devices for the duration of the visit — meaning no coordinating with outside counsel or a rideshare from inside the building. Dress code bans shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, and beach attire outright. Kenedy County has no DUI or drug court — the docket is too small to support one, so pretrial diversion eligibility rests entirely on prosecutorial discretion.

License and DMV Consequences

A failed or refused test starts the 15-day countdown to request an ALR hearing; miss it, and the suspension is automatic on day 40. Because Kenedy County has no incorporated towns, there's no local DPS office — the nearest is in Kingsville, appointment-only with limited same-day slots. ALR hearings fall under the Corpus Christi SOAH office, though nearly all are now conducted remotely over Zoom, sparing a trip to Corpus Christi.

Local Monitoring and Treatment

Smart Start, in Kingsville, is the primary IID installer for the Kenedy/Kleberg region, offering same-day installation and mobile service for some cases; Intoxalock and LifeSafer operate farther out in Corpus Christi or Raymondville. No SCRAM provider is confirmed locally — installation typically routes through the county probation office or a regional provider in Corpus Christi. No local SR-22 agent operates in Sarita either; defendants go through their existing carrier or an online high-risk broker. The mandatory 12-hour DWI class is available entirely online via Zoom through a TDLR-licensed provider, and substance abuse evaluations can be completed online too, with results sent directly to the court within about an hour. There's no AA meeting inside Kenedy County; the nearest options are in Riviera and Kingsville.

Sources

• Texas Department of Public Safety
• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — Towing Consumer Info