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Complete information about DWI arrests, impound, bail, courts, and procedures specific to Loving County, Texas.
15-day license deadline
Last verified: October 10, 2026
Key steps and deadlines for your DWI case in Loving County
Loving County has 57 residents — the least populated county in the entire United States — yet the Permian Basin oil boom pushes a disproportionate volume of commercial and oilfield traffic through it, and that traffic is where most DUI risk actually comes from. DPS recorded exactly one DUI arrest here in 2024. The county has no jail, so an arrest here means an immediate trip to either the Winkler County Detention Center in Kermit or the Reeves County Jail in Pecos.
The county seat, Mentone, functions more as an administrative outpost than an actual town. Loving County has been incorporated twice in its history — once in 1887 on fraudulent claims by a canal company, again in 1931 after oil was discovered — and it was home to the first elected female sheriff in Texas, Edna Reed Clayton Dewees, back in the 1940s.
Misdemeanor DUIs land in front of County Judge Skeet Lee Jones, who isn't a licensed attorney (allowed under Texas law for rural county judges) and carries a notably controversial record: a 2016 public warning from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for altering roughly 90 citations — including DWIs — into "illegal parking" violations to protect commercial drivers' records, and a 2022 felony arrest on organized-crime and livestock-theft charges. Felony cases go to the 143rd District Court under DA Sarah Stogner, whose background is in oil and gas law rather than traditional prosecution.
Because there's no local jail, booking and magistration happen at either Winkler County (1300 South Bellaire Street, Kermit, 432-586-5508) or Reeves County (500 South Oak Street, Pecos, 432-445-4901) — whichever facility receives the defendant depends on where the arrest occurred. Neither keeps an online roster, so a phone call to the booking desk is the only way to confirm custody status. Texas law requires magistration within 48 hours. A licensed bail bondsman serves both Kermit and Pecos with 24/7 availability, charging the standard 10% premium.
Misdemeanor DUIs go through the Loving County Court at 100 Bell St in Mentone (432-377-2701); felonies go to the 143rd District Court, which also covers Reeves and Ward counties. There's no online case lookup for either. Courtroom decorum is strict: suits or collared shirts and slacks for men, conservative dresses or suits for women, no shorts, sunglasses, or hats, and every phone or smartwatch left in the vehicle.
The 15-day ALR deadline is absolute — miss it, and suspension kicks in automatically on day 40. Loving County has no DPS office; the nearest is in Kermit, open just two days a week (Wednesday and Thursday), or Pecos, open four days but closed for lunch and all day Thursday. Winter storms frequently push delayed openings across West Texas DPS offices, making online appointment scheduling essential rather than optional.
Sonico Alignment LLC in Kermit is an authorized Intoxalock service center and the closest IID installer to Loving County. No SCRAM provider operates anywhere nearby — defendants coordinate through Midland or Odessa instead. SR-22 filings go through a regional high-risk insurance agency serving the Midland-Odessa area. Court-mandated DWI education is available through several TDLR-accredited virtual and in-person programs, and substance abuse evaluations are available remotely.
When facing a DWI charge in Loving County, finding local, experienced representation is critical. Below are DWI defense attorneys serving Loving County, TX; paid listings are advertisements and ratings are from Google.
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