Bastrop County Criminal Defense Attorney

The Law Office of David D. White, PLLC has practiced criminal defense exclusively since 2004 across nine Central Texas counties, including Bastrop. The firm’s three attorneys work every case as a team through weekly case reviews and shared notes in Clio. By the time a client sits down for the first consultation, the firm has already obtained the probable cause affidavit, read it, and identified the state’s evidentiary weak points. The firm has more than 250 five-star client reviews across Google, Avvo, and other legal review platforms.

If you have been arrested in Bastrop, Smithville, Elgin, or anywhere else in Bastrop County, call (512) 369-3737. Kenneth Hines and Taylor Kacir answer after-hours calls directly.

Bastrop County Cases the Firm Handles

The firm handles the full range of misdemeanor and felony criminal defense matters arising in Bastrop County, including:

• DWI (first, second, third or higher, intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter, BAC .15+, passenger under 15, refusal cases)
• Assault and family violence (Class A misdemeanor assault, assault family violence, assault family violence by impeding breath or circulation, aggravated assault)
• Drug offenses (Penalty Group 1, 1-A, 1-B, 2, 3, 4, marijuana, possession with intent to deliver, manufacture, drug-free zone enhancements)
• Theft and property crimes (theft, burglary, criminal mischief, robbery, aggravated robbery)
• Sex crimes (sexual assault, indecency with a child, online solicitation)
• Probation revocation and motion to adjudicate
• Expunctions and orders of nondisclosure (Kenneth Hines leads the firm’s expunction practice)

How the Bastrop County Court System Works

Bastrop County criminal cases move through several courts depending on the level of the charge.

Felony cases are heard in three district courts that have jurisdiction in Bastrop County:

• 21st District Court (also serves Lee County, Burleson, and Washington counties)
• 335th District Court (also serves Lee, Burleson, and Washington counties)
• 423rd District Court (serves Bastrop and Washington counties)

Felony charges in Bastrop County include state jail felonies, third-degree felonies, second-degree felonies, first-degree felonies, and capital felonies. The district courts handle indictments, pretrial motions, plea negotiations, suppression hearings, and trials on the merits.

Misdemeanor cases (Class A and Class B) are heard in the Bastrop County Court at Law. Class A and Class B misdemeanors include first-offense DWI, assault, possession of marijuana under two ounces, possession of dangerous drugs, theft under $750, and similar offenses. The County Court at Law also handles juvenile and CPS matters.

Class C misdemeanors (traffic, public intoxication, minor in possession of alcohol, simple assault by contact) are heard in the four Bastrop County Justice of the Peace courts and the three municipal courts in the cities of Bastrop, Smithville, and Elgin.

Felony prosecutions are handled by the Bastrop County District Attorney’s Office. Misdemeanor prosecutions are handled by the Bastrop County Attorney’s Office.

The Bastrop County Courthouse is located at 804 Pecan Street, Bastrop, Texas 78602.

Bastrop County Law Enforcement Agencies the Firm Encounters

Cases the firm handles in Bastrop County originate from arrests by:

• Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office
• Bastrop Police Department (City of Bastrop)
• Smithville Police Department (City of Smithville)
• Elgin Police Department (City of Elgin, which sits in both Bastrop and Travis Counties)
• Bastrop ISD Police Department
• Texas Department of Public Safety (highway patrol on State Highway 71, State Highway 21, and Loop 150)

Each agency has its own report-writing patterns, dashcam and bodycam practices, field sobriety testing methods, and supervisor-review structures. Knowing those patterns is part of how the firm finds the evidentiary weak points in a case.

How the Firm Covers Bastrop County

Taylor Kacir primarily handles the firm’s Bastrop County cases. Taylor practices daily from the firm’s Georgetown office and is in her fourth year of practice. Before joining the firm, she was a Senior Misdemeanor County Attorney at the Bell County Attorney’s Office, prosecuting Class A and Class B misdemeanors. That prosecutor experience informs how she defends criminal cases now: she knows how prosecutors prepare files, evaluate evidence, and decide whether to offer pleas.

The firm operates as a three-attorney team. Kenneth Hines and David White also cover Bastrop County cases as case-team needs require. Every case gets reviewed in the weekly attorney meeting. Whichever attorney covers a setting has been on the case from intake through those weekly reviews.

After-hours calls reach Kenneth Hines or Taylor Kacir directly through the firm’s call routing system. There is no answering service and no voicemail-only intake.

Fees

The firm charges flat fees on every criminal matter. There are no hourly bills. There are no surprise charges. Half of the fee is paid up front in good faith; the balance is structured according to the case. Some cases are paid in full at the outset.

• Class C misdemeanor: $1,000
• Class A or Class B misdemeanor: $5,000
• DWI 1st: $5,000
• DWI 2nd: starting $6,000
• Felony DWI (3rd or higher, BAC .15+, passenger under 15, intoxication assault, intoxication manslaughter): starting $7,500
• ALR hearing standalone: $1,500 (included when DWI is paid in full at onset)
• Felony drug offense: starting $7,500
• Felony violent offense: starting $10,000
• Expunction (outside Travis County, including Bastrop): $2,500 flat fee

The initial consultation is free.

What the First Consultation Looks Like

By the time a Bastrop County client comes in for the initial meeting, the firm has already done the following:

1. Obtained the probable cause affidavit from the arresting agency or the court clerk
2. Read the affidavit and the facts as the state has chosen to present them
3. Identified gaps, contradictions, and procedural failures in the affidavit
4. Pulled the firm’s prior case experience with the same charge level and the same arresting agency

The first consultation is where that work gets explained. The client sits down knowing what the state has on paper, what is missing, and what the realistic posture of the case is.

The offense report is not available to the firm until the firm is attorney of record on the case. The probable cause affidavit is available before that and is what the firm uses to build the initial assessment.

Why Bastrop County Cases Need Local Counsel

Three reasons specifically.

First, the geography matters. Bastrop County sits at the intersection of the Austin commuter zone (State Highway 71 west to Travis County) and the rural Texas county pattern that prevails east of the Colorado River. Cases originating from Highway 71 traffic stops, Elgin city-limit DUI checkpoints, and Bastrop-area lake events each have their own evidentiary signatures.

Second, the courts are different from Travis and Williamson. The 21st, 335th, and 423rd District Courts each have their own scheduling rhythms, their own pretrial conference patterns, and their own approaches to plea negotiation. Counsel who practices regularly in Travis County only does not have the same calibration for how a Bastrop felony moves.

Third, the prosecutors are different. The Bastrop County District Attorney’s Office and County Attorney’s Office prosecute differently from Travis County and Williamson County. Knowing the office means knowing how negotiation actually works.

Reviews and Reputation

The firm has more than 250 five-star client reviews across Google, Avvo, and other legal review platforms. Reviewers consistently note:

• The firm reads the case before developing a strategy
• The team explains options in plain language
• Charges are dismissed at rates that justify the flat-fee structure
• Kenneth Hines and Taylor Kacir return after-hours calls personally

Contact

If you are facing a criminal charge in Bastrop County, call (512) 369-3737. Free consultation. Flat fees. Criminal defense only.

Law Office of David D. White, PLLC

Austin office: 608 W 12th Street, Suite B, Austin, Texas 78701
Georgetown office: 706 Rock Street, Georgetown, Texas 78626
Phone: (512) 369-3737
Web: wm-attorneys.com

The firm covers criminal cases in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell, Lee, Coryell, Bell, Milam, and Bastrop counties.