Judge Evans, serving as magistrate at a Travis County Central Booking magistration session, reviewed defendants’ constitutional rights, explained how bond works in Travis County and set bail amounts and release conditions for multiple arrestees. “As you sit here before me this morning, you are presumed under Texas law to be innocent,” he told the people appearing before the court.

Why it matters: Magistration determines whether arrestees are released before trial and under what conditions. The judge’s explanations and the pretrial services recommendations shaped who left jail pending further proceedings, who remained held, and what conditions — such as drug evaluations, no-contact orders or monthly supervision — would govern release.

The magistrate began the session by listing defendants’ rights, including the right to remain silent, the right to counsel and, for felony arrestees, the right to request an examining trial (a preliminary hearing). He then described three ways to obtain release: a cash bond (depositing the full bail amount with the sheriff), a surety bond (through a bail bondsman, who typically charges a fee) and a personal bond (release on personal recognizance, often called a PR bond) if recommended by Pretrial Services. “Pretrial’s role is they … make the recommendation to the judge who should or shouldn’t qualify for a personal bond,” Judge Evans said.

Pretrial Services recommendations were a central factor. The magistrate repeatedly told defendants that a positive recommendation from Pretrial Services makes approval of a personal bond more likely; he also cautioned that a negative recommendation often reflected incomplete verification (for example, unavailable references or an unverified address) and can change once an attorney provides further information.

Notable case outcomes mentioned by the magistrate include:
- Jason Rodriguez: Charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, filed as a first-degree felony. Bail was set at $20,000 with conditions that include drug‑court screening, a drug evaluation and random urine testing if released. Rodriguez asked for a court‑appointed lawyer; one was noted in the record.
- Jerry Arnold: Charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (filed as a second‑degree felony). Bail was set at $20,000. An officer requested a temporary emergency protection order on behalf of an individual named Corey; the magistrate said the order prevents violent or harassing contact and contains a 200‑yard geographic restriction on an address on Wellington Drive. The magistrate said the temporary order will expire at 11:59 p.m. on March 31 unless lifted or modified by a trial court judge and summarized penalties for violating the order.
- Anthony McDonald: Facing a state‑jail felony possession charge and an alleged unlawful carrying of a weapon (class A misdemeanor). Bail for the state‑jail felony was set at $5,000 plus conditions requiring participation in drug evaluation and drug‑court screening; the applicant was approved for a personal bond per Pretrial Services’ recommendation.
- Raul Merino: Charged with terrorizing and making a threat against a public servant (third‑degree felony). Bail was set at $15,000; conditions include no firearms, no contact with the alleged victim and a 200‑yard stay away from a specified location (901 Little Texas Lane). Pretrial’s recommendation for a PR bond was recorded as no, because of pending cases in other jurisdictions.
- John Rios: Charged with driving with an invalid driver’s license (class B misdemeanor). Bail was set at $500 and the magistrate imposed supervised release conditions, including no driving without a license. The magistrate noted Pretrial’s recommendation was initially negative because the defendant reported homelessness and Pretrial had trouble verifying an address; the judge granted a supervised personal bond with monthly reporting.
- Abigail Morales: Charged with assault causing bodily injury (family‑violence allegation, filed as a class A misdemeanor). Neither the alleged victim nor police had requested an emergency protection order; Pretrial recommended a personal bond and the magistrate said the personal bond paperwork had been signed.

The magistrate also addressed procedural options for outstanding warrants and ticket cases: in one instance he said he would release a defendant on a “release to appear” so that the defendant could clear multiple traffic warrants later, or accept pleas and apply jail credit when appropriate. He stressed that certain felony charges do not qualify for a personal bond under local practice and that attorneys can later ask a trial judge to seek modifications.

The magistrate told the assembled defendants that many releases depend on the sheriff’s office processing and that several defendants would likely be released within hours to the next 24 hours. He repeatedly noted that Pretrial Services’ investigation — verifying employment, references and addresses — drives many PR decisions and that defendants who obtain lawyers may be able to overturn an initial negative Pretrial recommendation.

A direct quotation from the magistrate: “Pretrial’s role is they … make the recommendation to the judge who should or shouldn’t qualify for a personal bond.”

Ending: The session produced a mix of supervised personal bonds, higher cash or surety bail amounts and at least one temporary emergency protection order. Defendants who requested court‑appointed counsel were noted as such; several who received favorable Pretrial Services recommendations were told their personal bonds had been signed and that they should be released after processing by the sheriff’s office.