Searching La Salle County Criminal Dockets
Start any scheduled district matter with the 81st and 218th Judicial District Courts docket index. No account is required. Those two courts jointly serve La Salle County. The index posts weekly PDF dockets grouped by county and date. Look for the La Salle County code LASA. Then match the date and criminal category. A PDF is only a schedule snapshot, not a full criminal court record.
For a broader docket search, registered users can turn to re:SearchTX Court Records Search. Coverage depends on integration and access rules. Its official guide covers Cases and Hearings views. Quick and Advanced Search, sorting, export, case details, and document purchase are explained as well. If a La Salle County criminal case is missing there, contact the County/District Clerk at the courthouse by phone, email, or fax. Ask the office whether a free public terminal exists too.
- Open the district docket index and locate a La Salle County date.
- Choose the criminal trial or appearance PDF that fits the setting.
- Keep the docket number and date filed for follow-up.
- Check re:SearchTX if the case is electronically available.
- Ask the clerk for filings, disposition, or a certified copy.
Two La Salle Criminal PDF Types
La Salle County criminal court dockets come in more than one PDF flavor. A filename with LASA-CR-DC marks district criminal trial-docket material. A file labeled LASA-CR may be an appearance docket. The label in the PDF header controls. So do not treat every criminal link as the same stage, or read an appearance list as proof a trial is set.
| Official PDF | Main use | Fields or labels |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal trial docket | Trial-setting schedule | Docket number, style, time, date filed, case age, docket set |
| Criminal appear docket | Appearance and arraignment work | APPEAR, ARR, MTR, trial or reset comments |
| Indictment list | County and first-appearance workflow | Selection by La Salle County and date |
The label keeps a search tight. It also blocks a common mistake. A setting code says why the case sits on that day's La Salle County criminal docket; it does not say what the judge finally decided.
Inside a La Salle County Criminal Docket
The official samples follow a clear header-and-row design. The header names the court, county, docket type, setting date, and report run date. Each row adds schedule facts. Some fields stay blank or serve court staff only. One caution applies. Do not copy private sample names, birth dates, or attorney details into another publication.
| Docket No. | The court case identifier and best follow-up key. |
|---|---|
| Style of Case | The formal caption; private names are omitted here. |
| Time | The listed call or hearing time, subject to change. |
| Date Filed | The date the case entered the court record. |
| Case Age | A report-generated age field, not an outcome. |
| Docket Set | The schedule group, such as APPEAR or TRIAL. |
| Setting Comm | A comment that may show ARR, MTR, trial, or reset text. |
A criminal docket may show prosecutor or counsel-entry areas. It does not hold the indictment, motions, orders, financial ledger, judgment, or proof a sentence was completed. That file belongs to the La Salle County/District Clerk.
La Salle Indictment Date Search
The district courts run a separate indictments workflow. Pick La Salle County and a first-appearance date. Then open the official PDF. That route helps when the weekly criminal court docket is the wrong record. Handle it with care, because the list covers allegations and scheduled process, not a judgment.
The official indictment page confirms the approach: the search starts with county and date controls, not a universal person-name box.
The official page supports the right route and leaves private party details out. Use the docket only to find an official reference. Then confirm the record with the clerk.
How a La Salle Criminal Case Moves
A La Salle County criminal docket can show different points in one case. The broad flow is Filing → Arraignment → Pretrial → Plea or Trial → Disposition → Sentencing. Not every case takes each step in that order. A plea may resolve a matter before trial, a motion can change the route, and a reset can move a setting without deciding the charge.
- ARR
- Arraignment, when the charge and plea process are addressed.
- MTR
- A motion-to-revoke notation observed in the appearance sample.
- APPEAR
- The appearance-docket set used for scheduled attendance.
- TRIAL
- The trial-docket set, which still may be reset.
- RESET
- A setting moved from an earlier date, not a dismissal.
La Salle County posts no full dictionary of criminal disposition codes. Read the whole setting comment. Ask the clerk when an entry is unclear. Never restate a scheduled event as a conviction, dismissal, or sentence without the final court record.
Courts That Hold Criminal Dockets
Criminal dockets in La Salle County sit with more than one court. Felony records live with the combined County/District Clerk, who serves the district courts. The constitutional County Court handles county-level criminal categories. Below that, four Justice of the Peace courts hear fine-only misdemeanor and citation matters. Those stay within their authority. Cotulla and Encinal Municipal Courts keep the city ordinance and Class C records. Your citation or notice usually names the right court, so start there.
This split matters for a docket search. The La Salle County/District Clerk does not hold a JP or municipal criminal docket. A city citation stays with its municipal clerk. A JP citation stays with that precinct. Federal cases run through PACER for the Southern District of Texas, Laredo Division. That is a separate channel entirely. The La Salle County case lookup explains how each of these routes works.
Note: Begin with the court named on the notice. One person-name search will not cover every La Salle County court.
La Salle Settings Are Not Outcomes
A setting answers when and why a criminal matter is expected in court. It never answers what happened after the docket was printed. The weekly PDF may predate a plea, continuance, ruling, cancellation, or amended setting. Even "TRIAL" only names a schedule group. It is not proof a trial occurred.
To learn the result, check electronic case details when available. Then request the judgment, order, or clerk entry. Give the clerk the docket number, court level, record sought, date range, delivery format, and whether certification is needed. An open-ended search with no docket number can trigger the statutory search fee. Older or non-electronic material may need a direct request. The clerk can explain.
Complete La Salle Criminal Case Files
Sonia Maldonado heads the La Salle County/District Clerk. That office keeps complete criminal case files for the county. Her desk sits at 101 Courthouse Square #107, Cotulla, TX 78014. The official clerk office answers the phone at (830) 483-5120. Doors open Monday through Thursday. Hours run 7:30 a.m. to noon, then again 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., and Friday hours are 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Fax (830) 483-5100 appears in the OCA verification listing for the office. So does sonia.maldonado@co.la-salle.tx.us.
County/District Clerk
101 Courthouse Square #107
Cotulla, TX 78014
(830) 483-5120
Ask for the filing, order, judgment, docket sheet, or certified copy by case number.
You can start a request in person at the clerk's counter. Phone, email, and fax work too. These follow whatever process the office currently uses. Before mailing any funds or original documents, ask the clerk about mail procedures. County GovQ covers administrative public information. An adjudicative criminal case file does not travel that route by default.
Sealed Dockets and Public Access
Public access stops at a firm line. Some matters stay sealed, expunged, nondisclosed, juvenile, or protective-order restricted. They may be missing from a court docket or only partly visible. Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 21c flags sensitive data. That list covers birth dates, home addresses, license numbers, tax identifiers, financial account data, and the names of minors. Seeing a field in an official sample does not grant permission to republish it.
Access boundary: A missing La Salle County criminal docket hit does not prove that no case exists.
Check the court level, date-based PDF, re:SearchTX availability, and proper clerk before reaching a conclusion.
Texas Rule of Judicial Administration 12 governs judicial records that fall within its scope. It does not open every case record. The Texas Public Information Act treats the judiciary under a separate framework of its own. For a criminal case file, start with the clerk as custodian. Describe the record you want narrowly.
Confirm Changed La Salle Criminal Settings
The 81st/218th calendar and docket pages can change without much warning. The court's own setting instructions make confirmation essential. A requested setting does not reach the docket until the coordinator sends an accepted confirmation email. If a criminal setting shifts or turns urgent, call the district court coordinator at (830) 769-3750. Parties with lawyers should loop in their attorney as well.
Check the county homepage before driving to the courthouse. Restoration work and closure notices there prove the point. An old address or a saved PDF is not enough for same-day planning. Work from the newest official La Salle County criminal docket. Keep the case number handy. Then confirm date and location with the court that issued the notice.
Note: A saved criminal docket PDF is a dated schedule snapshot. Confirm a live setting before any travel or court attendance.