Denton County Criminal Court

Denton County Criminal Court handles all criminal cases that are filed in Denton County. See below for more information about criminal cases in Denton County.

Right to an attorney

The US Constitution’s Sixth Amendment ensures the right to an attorney regardless of whether or not you can afford one. In Denton County a public defender will be appointed by the judge if you cannot afford private representation.

Appealing a Criminal Conviciton

A defendant may appeal a criminal conviction to an appellate court. In an appeal, the actual trial is not redone, but the appellate court hears arguments that the criminal case was not handled in a legal manner at the original criminal court. The appellate court can either uphold the conviction, or determine that errors were made and may request a retrial, a resentencing of the defendant or that the charges be dismissed.

Denton County Arraignments

An arraignment is a court hearing. In Denton County this is the first thing that will happen in a criminal case. The defendant will be brought before a judge in Denton County Criminal Court and the judge will read the charges that were filed against the defendant. The judge will also read the rights the defendant has and ask the defendant if they understand both the charges filed against them and their rights as a defendant in the case. In Denton County a plea of Guilty, Not Guilty or No Contest may be entered. In a guilty or no contest plea the sentencing of the defendant may take place at the same arraignment hearing or a later date may be scheduled for sentencing. For a not guilty plea, a date will be set for a trial.

What is a Plea Agreement?

A plea agreement is a deal made between the prosecution and the defendant in a case, where the defendant agrees to plea guilty to a particular charge in exchange for some concession from the prosecutor. In practice, more than 90% of criminal cases end with a plea agreement.

Mandatory Appearances in Denton County Criminal Court

At a mandatory or required court appearance in Denton County, the defendant must appear before the court. In the event of a “Failure to Appear” the judge may issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant. Note: not all criminal hearings are mandatory, in a non-mandatory hearing an attorney may appear on your behalf without you being in court.

What is the Burden of Proof?

The term “Burden of Proof” means that the prosecutor is required to prove the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. If the prosecutor cannot provide proof of the defendants guilt, then the judge or jury in a trial must find the defendant not guilty. In the United States the principle innocent until proven guilty derives from this that the defendant is assumed innocent and the prosecution has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.

Jury Deliberations in Denton County

In Denton County, jury deliberations will take place in a jury trial after the prosecution and defense have presented their cases and rested. At this point, the judge will provide a list of instructions to the jury about what they are allowed and not allowed to do and what verdict options are available for them to decide. The jury will be sent to a private room to discuss the evidence presented in the case and attempt to reach a unaminous decision. When a unaminous decision is reached, the jury will inform the judge that they have reached a verdict and will return to the courtroom for the verdict to be read allowed. In the event that the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the jury results in a deadlock and a mistrial is declared.

Who can help me in Denton County?

For general information about your case the Denton County court clerk will be able to provide legal information about your specific criminal case. Legal information is not legal advice though, the court clerk will only be able to provide information about your case, like date/time of hearings what will occur at the hearing and what you may be required to do in the hearing. They cannot provide advice about what you should do or what the best legal options may be for your particular case. Only an attorney can provide legal advice and this is your best place for information about your specific criminal proceeding. If you cannot afford to hire a private attorney to represent you, a judge will appoint an attorney to represent you, this is most often a public defender.

Denton County Criminal Court hearings

Criminal hearings in Denton County will take place at the Denton County Criminal Courts. Please see here for a list of the Denton County Criminal Court Locations.

Prosecutor in Denton County

In Denton County, the prosecutor is an attorney representing Denton County. In some cases, the prosecutor may actually represent Texas. For the most part, the prosecutor in Denton County has discretion to both decide whether to file charges and also negotiate a potential plea deal with the defendant.

If guilty, who sentences the defendant?

If the defendant is found guilty after the trial, the defendent will be sentenced. In some cases, this can occur at the same hearing the defendant is found guilty in court, in other cases a separate hearing will be required. Often the prosecution will request a particular sentence for the defendant and the judge will determine whether to enforce this sentence or impose a different sentence for the defendant.

The Right to Trial by Jury

The Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right to a trial by a jury. This is applicable for when the crime can carry a sentence of 6 months in jail OR a $500 fine, these are known as “Serious Crimes”. The defendant can also waive their right to a speedy and public trial.

Denton County Criminal Court Locations

• Denton County 211th District Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2146, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2200 Fax: 940-349-2201 (Civil/Family) Fax: 940-349-2211 (Criminal)

• Denton County 211th District Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2146, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2200 Fax: 940-349-2201 (Civil/Family) Fax: 940-349-2211 (Criminal)

• Denton County 211th District Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2146, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2200 Fax: 940-349-2201 (Civil/Family) Fax: 940-349-2211 (Criminal)

• Denton County 211th District Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2146, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2200 Fax: 940-349-2201 (Civil/Family) Fax: 940-349-2211 (Criminal)

• Denton County 211th District Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2146, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2200 Fax: 940-349-2201 (Civil/Family) Fax: 940-349-2211 (Criminal)

• Denton County 211th District Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2146, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2200 Fax: 940-349-2201 (Civil/Family) Fax: 940-349-2211 (Criminal)

• Denton County 211th District Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2146, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2200 Fax: 940-349-2201 (Civil/Family) Fax: 940-349-2211 (Criminal)

• Denton County Constitutional Court

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2187, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2012 Fax: 940-349-2013

• Denton County Clerk Office

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, PO Box 2187, Denton TX 76202
  Phone: 940-349-2012 Fax: 940-349-2013

• Denton County Court at Law No. 1

  Address: 210 S Woodrow Ln, Denton TX 76205
  Phone: 940-349-2520 Fax: 940-349-2521

• Denton County Court at Law No. 2

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, #2437, Denton TX 76209
  Phone: 940-349-2120 Fax: 940-349-2121

• Denton County Criminal Court No. 1

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, #1419, Denton TX 76209
  Phone: 940-349-2160 Fax: 940-349-2161

• Denton County Criminal Court No. 2

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, #1325, Denton TX 76209
  Phone: 940-349-2170 Fax: 940-349-2171

• Denton County Criminal Court No. 3

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, #4420, Denton TX 76209
  Phone: 940-349-2180 Fax: 940-349-2181

• Denton County Criminal Court No. 4

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, #4332, Denton TX 76209
  Phone: 940-349-2380 Fax: 940-349-2381

• Denton County Criminal Court No. 5

  Address: 1450 E McKinney St, #4412, Denton TX 76209
  Phone: 940-349-2190 Fax: 940-349-2181

• Denton County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1

  Address: 401 W Hickory St, #227, Denton TX 76201
  Phone: 940-349-3170 Fax: 940-349-3171

• Denton County Justice of the Peace Precinct 2

  Address: 6301 Main St, #100, The Colony TX 75056
  Phone: 972-434-7200 Fax: 972-434-7201

• Denton County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3

  Address: 190 N Valley Pkwy, #100, Lewisville TX 75067
  Phone: 972-434-4750 Fax: 972-434-4751

• Denton County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4

  Address: 816 N Highway 377, Roanoke TX 76262
  Phone: 972-434-3910 Fax: 972-434-3911

• Denton County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5

  Address: 1400 FM 424, #124, Cross Roads TX 76227
  Phone: 940-349-3460 Fax: 940-349-3461

• Denton County Justice of the Peace Precinct 6

  Address: 1029 W Rosemeade Pkwy, Carrollton TX 75007
  Phone: 972-434-7100 Fax: 972-434-7101

• Argyle Municipal Court

  Address: 506 N Hwy 377, PO Box 609, Argyle TX 76226
  Phone: 940-464-7255 Fax: 940-464-7409

• Aubrey Municipal Court

  Address: 107 S Main St, Aubrey TX 76227
  Phone: 940-440-9343 Fax: 940-365-1215

• Bartonville Municipal Court

  Address: 1941 E Jeter Rd, Bartonville TX 76226
  Phone: 817-430-4052 Fax: 817-430-9433.

• Copper Canyon Municipal Court

  Address: 400 Woodland Dr, Copper Canyon TX 75077
  Phone: 940-241-2677 Fax: 940-241-2727

• Corinth Municipal Court

  Address: 3300 Corinth Pkwy, Corinth TX 76208
  Phone: 940-498-3236 Fax: 940-498-3247

• Cross Roads Municipal Court

  Address: 1401 FM 424, Cross Roads TX 76227
  Phone: 940-365-9693

• Denton Municipal Court

  Address: 601 E Hickory St, Suite D, Denton TX 76205
  Phone: 940-349-8331 Fax: 940-349-8325

• Dish Municipal Court

  Address: 5413 Tim Donald Rd, Dish TX 76247
  Phone: 940-479-2396 Fax: 940-479-2100

• Double Oak Municipal Court

  Address: 320 Waketon Rd, Double Oak TX 75077
  Phone: 972-539-9464 Fax: 972-539-9613

• Flower Mound Municipal Court

  Address: 4150 Kirkpatrick Ln, Flower Mound TX 75028
  Phone: 972-874-3370 Fax: 972-874-3379

• Hackberry Municipal Court

  Address: 119 Maxwell Rd, #B-7, Frisco TX 75034
  Phone: 972-292-3223

• Hickory Creek Municipal Court

  Address: 1075 Ronald Reagan Ave, Hickory Creek TX 75065
  Phone: 940-497-2564

• Highland Village Municipal Court

  Address: 1000 Highland Village Rd, Highland Village TX 75077
  Phone: 972-317-3660 Fax: 972-899-5100

• Justin Municipal Court

  Address: Phone: 940-648-2541, x112 Fax: 940-648-8702

• Krugerville Municipal Court

  Address: 5097 Highway 377 S, Krugerville TX 76227
  Phone: 940-365-5833 Fax: 940-365-5834

• Krum Municipal Court

  Address: 102 W McCart St, PO Box 217, Krum TX 76249
  Phone: 940-482-3491

• Lake Dallas Municipal Court

  Address: Phone: 940-497-2226, x2 Fax: 940-497-4485

• Lakewood Village Municipal Court

  Address: 100 Highridge Dr, Lakewood Village TX 75068
  Phone: 972-294-5555

• Lewisville Municipal Court

  Address: 1197 W Main St, PO Box 299002, Lewisville TX 75029
  Phone: 972-219-3436

• Little Elm Municipal Court

  Address: 100 W Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm TX 75068
  Phone: 214-975-0484 Fax: 972-377-1881

• Northlake Municipal Court

  Address: 1400 FM 407, Northlake TX 76247
  Phone: 940-648-3473 Fax: 940-648-5803

• Oak Point Municipal Court

  Address: Phone: 972-294-2312, x102 Fax: 972-294-1619

• Pilot Point Municipal Court

  Address: 102 E Main St, Pilot Point TX 76258
  Phone: 940-686-4707 Fax: 940-686-3070

• Ponder Municipal Court

  Address: 405 Shaffner St, PO Box 297, Ponder TX 76259
  Phone: 940-479-2396 Fax: 940-479-2100

• Providence Village Municipal Court

  Address: 1745 FM 2931, Providence Village TX 76227
  Phone: 940-365-9333

• Roanoke Municipal Court

  Address: 609 Dallas Dr, Roanoke TX 76262
  Phone: 817-491-0813 Fax: 817-490-0923

• Sanger Municipal Court

  Address: 301 Bolivar St, PO Box 578, Sanger TX 76266
  Phone: 940-458-7131 Fax: 940-458-3428

• Shady Shores Municipal Court

  Address: 101 S Shady Shores Rd, Shady Shores TX 76208
  Phone: 940-498-0048

• The Colony Municipal Court

  Address: 5151 N Colony Blvd, The Colony TX 75056
  Phone: 972-624-2200

• Trophy Club Municipal Court

  Address: 100 Municipal Dr, Trophy Club TX 76262
  Phone: 682-831-4660 Fax: 817-490-0705