Frio jail fee debate continues

By Breyana Segura - Chief Staff Writer | December 3, 2025

“At no point has it been an issue”

Police chief, sheriff differ over 2011 inmate agreement

Differences of opinion by law enforcement heads continue in Frio County this month, where the Pearsall city police chief and county sheriff have debated an inmate housing agreement at the local detention facility.
The 13-year-old inter-local agreement governing jail services between the city of Pearsall and the Frio County Sheriff’s Office remains the foundational document defining accountability for inmate housing and medical care within the first 24 hours of an arrest.
The contract, signed on December 22, 2011, established the terms by which the county would detain individuals arrested by outside agencies; a necessary step taken after the previous private operator, GEO Group Inc., terminated its agreement to run the facility.
The jail reopened as a full-time detention facility in November 2021 after a series of upgrades required to meet state jail commission standards.
Key signatories to the 2011 document included Carlos ‘Chale’ Garcia, county judge at the time; Albert Alvarez, mayor of Pearsall at the time; Hector Lozano, attorney for the city of Pearsall at the time; and Joseph Sindon, who continues to serve as legal counsel to the commissioners’ court.

Lionel Trevino, whose signature is not on the document, was sheriff during the execution of the contract.
The primary financial provision of the agreement, outlined in Section IV, sets the rate at $50 per arrestee for the city’s period of responsibility.
Section III clarifies that an arrestee remains a city prisoner for the first 24 hours, or until arraigned by a magistrate, at which time the detainee becomes a county prisoner.
Records show that the four justices of the peace for the county are on a rotation, allowing magistration to take place at least once within a 24-hour period.
According to the posted financial budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year, the city budgeted $30,000 for prisoner expenses. Records filed at the sheriff’s office show the police department spent $7,900 to house inmates at the jail.
The $24,200 spent in the 2024-25 fiscal year equates to 480 arrests for which the city paid the initial housing fee.
The city of Dilley and the Pearsall ISD police departments also use the services of the county jail.
Pearsall ISD’s police department spent a combined total of $1,150 over the course of the five years.
According to the contract, “the county agrees to house, support, maintain and confine in the detention facility persons who have been arrested by a city police officer from the time they are accepted for custody by the county sheriff or his deputy with a commitment issued by a magistrate until they can be transported.”
The agreement includes housing, support, transportation to other detention facilities, and any medical care an inmate may need post-magistration. The agreement also outlines who is responsible for required medical treatment.

“The county sheriff or his deputy shall determine, upon presentation of any city prisoner at the detention facility whether or not at that time, the city prisoner shall be accepted and committed to the detention facility or transported to a hospital if the prisoner evidences any illness or injury,” the contract reads.
Moreover, once an arrestee who requires approval for incarceration from a medical doctor receives clearance, the individual can be processed and detained at the jail.
The transfer of responsibility aligns with legal precedent set in a 1984 Texas Attorney General (AG) opinion, which indicates that while a county jail is only required to accept state statute violators after magistration, an inter-local agreement allows the county to collect payment from the city for the inmate’s stay until that point.
A Collin County criminal district attorney recently sought an AG opinion regarding a sheriff’s responsibility for taking custody of a person hospitalized for injuries sustained while being arrested by law enforcement officers of a different jurisdiction.
According to the summary, “a person arrested by a law enforcement agency other than the sheriff’s department and hospitalized as a result of that arrest becomes the responsibility of the sheriff upon the issuance by a magistrate of a commitment order directing that the sheriff receive and place in jail the person so committed.”
Frio County Sheriff Peter Salinas said state law requires that individuals arrested for a misdemeanor crime be held up to 30 days for a Class A and 15 days for a Class B before being allowed a personal bond; individuals arrested for a felony crime could be held for 90 days before being released.
The sheriff, who previously served as Pearsall’s chief of police, described the stability and standard nature of the 2011 agreement during an October city council meeting.
“I would like to highlight that this rate has been in place since 2011 and at no point has it been an issue for multiple sheriffs and multiple chiefs of police,” Salinas said. “I have also contacted and reviewed multiple contracts between county and city governments for the housing of inmates and found that the current contract does fall into line with standard practices. Some contracts have set higher fees than others, while some charge a fee for each day of confinement. We do not charge any type of per-day fee and are not seeking to do so.
“I am uniquely qualified to comment on these issues,” the sheriff added, “having been the former chief of police for Pearsall and now the current elected sheriff. I successfully led the city police through the long period where Frio County had the state shut down the county jail and later led the sheriff’s office to the re-opening of the county jail. Through both scenarios, we were fully able to fully enforce the laws and follow the contractual agreement in place.”
Pearsall Police Chief Daniel Flores said he believes the 2011 contract was made in good faith to assist the county; however, he believes Frio County residents are paying twice for the service.
“It does not exist anywhere outside Frio County,” the police chief said. “It is a disservice to the citizens.”
Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown said the five police departments in his county do not pay a fee to house their arrestees, but the arresting agency is responsible for medical care if an individual requires medical attention at the time of intake.
“I mean charging a fee would be nice to help get us more dispatchers or jailers,” Brown said during a phone interview.
The city of Floresville’s police budget does not include inmate housing but includes a line item totaling $60,000 labeled for a dispatcher.
“I have submitted some possible contract amendment suggestions that may be beneficial to the city,” Sheriff Salinas said. “My hopes are that the city will review these additional benefits and allow for a continuing successful partnership.”