Your Student Was Arrested in Denton
UNT and TWU sit in our backyard. If you're a parent hours away getting this call, here's exactly what to do, and you can do most of it from where you are.
Most paperwork handled remotely
You do not need to get in the car. Much of the cosigner paperwork can be handled remotely, so a parent in Houston, Dallas, or another state can get this moving in one phone call. We'll tell you honestly if your situation is one of the ones that needs a signature in person.
Three departments operate around campus
This is the part that confuses parents most, because "arrested at UNT" can mean three different things. University police, Denton PD, and the Sheriff's Office all work this area, and which one made the arrest affects where your student is being held right now.
Campus police
UNT Police and TWU DPS are their own sworn departments. On-campus arrests usually start with them, then move into the city or county system. Neither runs a jail of its own.
Where campus arrests land
The Denton City Jail holds Class C arrestees for UNT and TWU under a standing partnership. So a campus arrest can put your student in a city facility run by Denton PD, not by the university.
Denton PD
Anything off campus, the Square, Fry Street, an apartment complex, a traffic stop. Booked at the city jail on E. Hickory.
Sheriff's Office
County jurisdiction, and the destination for transfers. That's the county jail on Woodrow Lane, across from our office.
Don't know which?
Give us your student's full legal name and date of birth. We check all of them daily and will tell you where they are.
A note on the phone call you just had. Your student was probably brief, upset, and short on detail. That's normal, and calls from custody are limited. You don't need them to explain the charge. A name and date of birth is enough for us to find out ourselves.
What student arrests are typically for
Most are misdemeanors with modest bail. A few carry consequences that surprise people, and it's worth knowing which is which before you decide how worried to be.
Public intoxication
A Class C in Texas. Low bail, often a short hold, but still an arrest and still a record.
Minor in possession
Under 21 with alcohol. Usually fine-level, but it stacks badly with a second offense.
DWI under 21
Texas has zero tolerance for drivers under 21. Expect license consequences on top of the bond. See DWI bonds.
THC vapes & edibles
Concentrates fall in a harsher penalty group than marijuana flower, so a single cartridge can be charged as a felony. See drug possession.
The vape thing is real and worth reading twice. Parents routinely assume a THC cartridge is treated like a small amount of marijuana. In Texas it often isn't. Concentrates are graded differently, and the felony threshold arrives far sooner than anyone expects. If that's the charge, take it seriously from the first phone call.
Handled tonight, this is usually a bad memory
Write down the full legal name and date of birth. Call us. We locate them, confirm whether bail has been set, and give you the exact cost. If bail hasn't been set yet. Common in the first few hours. We watch for it and start the moment it posts.
Then let them sleep on it and talk in the morning. We're bondsmen, not counselors, but 30+ years of these calls says the conversation goes better after everyone has rested and nobody is standing in a jail lobby.
Denton on a Friday night
UNT and TWU put roughly fifty thousand students in this city. The arrests cluster in the same few places, and the calls come from parents hours away.
Common questions
I'm four hours away. Do I need to drive to Denton?
Usually not. A lot of the paperwork can be handled remotely, and we'd rather you stayed put than drove half the night. Some situations do need an in-person signature, and we'll tell you clearly which one yours is on the first call.
Will the university find out?
University conduct processes are separate from the criminal case and run on their own rules. That's a question for the school and, if it matters, a defense attorney. We handle release; we can't speak to what a campus does with it.
My student is 18. Can I cosign for them?
Yes, and parents usually do. Understand what you're signing though: a cosigner guarantees every court appearance, and if the defendant doesn't appear, you can be responsible for the full bail, not just the 10%. With a student heading back to campus, be sure you can actually keep track of court dates.
How much is this going to cost?
Ten percent of the bail. Most PI and MIP bonds are on the low end; a DWI or a felony-level drug charge is substantially more. Call for the real figure. See bail bond cost for how it's calculated.
It's finals week and they can't miss class.
Then the sooner you call, the better. We file our side quickly; what follows is the facility's release processing, which we can't speed up but can keep you informed about. Waiting until morning is the one thing that reliably makes it slower.
Do they need a lawyer?
For the case itself, probably, especially on anything above a fine-only charge. We're licensed bondsmen, not attorneys, so we can't advise on the case. What we can do is get them out tonight and point you toward the right questions to ask.
New to all of this? Bail 101 explains the whole process in plain English, and the FAQ covers the questions we hear most.