Running a Sex Offender Check in Medina County
The Texas Public Sex Offender Registry landing page is the main public route for a Medina County sex offender check. Texas DPS operates the free statewide system under Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 62. It covers people whose reportable conviction, adjudication, court order, or supervision status creates a Texas registration duty. It does not cover every arrest, charge, or conviction in Medina County. A blank result means only that the terms used did not return a public Texas registration entry.
The official landing page keeps the Medina County search tied to the state source and its current terms. Start with enough detail to avoid a false match. A name can help when the person is known. County, city, ZIP, and address modes are more useful for neighborhood awareness. Check the full profile before treating a list result as a match, since similar names and nearby addresses can lead to the wrong entry.
Medina County Sex Offender Registration Offices
One local office does not register every Medina County address. Texas assigns the job by residence. A person living inside a Medina County municipality generally reports to that city's police department. A person living outside municipal limits reports to the Medina County Sheriff's Office. This split matters when a record seems stale or suspected noncompliance needs to be reported. The office responsible for the actual address is the first local contact.
Medina County Sheriff's Office
801 Avenue Y
Hondo, TX 78861
830-741-6150
Call first to confirm the designated registration contact and appointment process.
Hondo Police Department
1030 Avenue Y
Hondo, TX 78861
830-426-5353
Ask for the employee assigned to registration and current appointment rules.
Devine Police Department
303 South Teel Drive
Devine, TX 78016
830-663-4403
Police service is continuous, but registration-desk hours may differ.
Castroville Police Department
411 London Street
Castroville, TX 78009
830-931-2222
Administrative hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Other Medina County municipalities follow the same city-police rule. Call before appearing because the sheriff's public page does not list a dedicated registration desk, direct line, fee, or appointment schedule. Patrol availability also does not prove that a registration employee is at the counter. For an emergency, call 911.
Searching the Texas Public Sex Offender Registry
Open the official Texas registry search to search Medina County records. The Medina County search application depends on JavaScript, so labels and controls can change in the live view. DPS supports name and geographic modes. The reliable course is to select the mode shown on screen, enter only the facts known, and inspect the result before widening the area.
- Open the Texas DPS public application and read the current conditions and warning displayed by the registry.
- Choose a name search or a geographic route based on an address, city, ZIP code, or Medina County.
- Run the search, then compare the list or map results without assuming that a similar name is the same person.
- Open the relevant public profile and review its photograph, identifiers, address, offense, risk level, and registration status together.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Search mode | Mode-dependent | Searches by identity; verify the exact name subfields in the live application. |
| Address | Search mode | Mode-dependent | Centers a proximity search on a Texas address; check the live radius choices. |
| City or ZIP Code | Geographic criterion | Optional or mode-dependent | Narrows the search to a municipality or postal area. |
| County | Select | Optional or mode-dependent | Select Medina County for a countywide result set. |
| Map or List | Result display | No | Changes how geographic results are presented. |
The DPS search screen shows the live controls that govern each Medina County query.
Because the application did not expose every field to text inspection, do not assume a radius value, sort option, or reset label. Use what the current screen presents. No account or per-search charge is described for this public registry.
Medina County Sex Offender Risk Levels
Texas risk levels and Medina County registration terms answer different questions. Level 1 means low risk, Level 2 means moderate risk, and Level 3 means high risk under the state assessment. Civil Commitment identifies a court finding and a separate intensive treatment and supervision structure. None of these labels alone states whether the duty lasts ten years or life. Duration follows the offense and statutory circumstances.
Verification frequency is also separate. Most registrants verify annually. A person with two or more sexually violent offenses verifies once in each 90-day period, while a person under civil commitment verifies once in every 30-day period. A Level 3 label can trigger community notice, but it does not by itself prove a 90-day verification schedule.
What a Registry Profile Shows
A Medina County registry profile combines public identity, Medina County location, offense, and status details. The Texas DPS registry FAQ explains both the information collected and the statutory limits on release.
The FAQ supplies the context needed to read a Medina County entry without assuming that every item held by police is public.
| Name & Aliases | Full name and reported aliases used to distinguish one public profile from another. |
|---|---|
| Photo & Physical Description | An available current image and public descriptors such as date of birth, sex, race, height, weight, eye color, and hair color. |
| Registered Address | A home address or detailed geographic residence description when there is no conventional address. |
| Offense Details | Offense type, victim age without victim identity, conviction date, and punishment received. |
| Risk Level | Level 1 low, Level 2 moderate, Level 3 high, or Civil Commitment. |
| Registration Status | The local registration authority, supervision or release indicator, verification requirement, and status-related data. |
Phone numbers, online identifiers, employer information, Social Security and driver's-license numbers, and victim identity are excluded from the public view. Police may collect some of those facts, but a Medina County public-information request cannot override Chapter 62 confidentiality.
Cross-State Medina County Offender Searches
The National Sex Offender Public Website adds a federal search layer when a Medina County question crosses state, territorial, or tribal lines.
NSOPW brings results from participating jurisdictions into one search, which helps when a Medina County residence, school, work site, conviction, or prior duty lies beyond Texas. It does not replace the Texas registry. Return to DPS for Texas-specific profile details, legal explanations, and correction routes. People convicted under another state, federal, military, or foreign law may still have a Texas duty when the offense is substantially similar or the other jurisdiction requires registration.
Use both layers when the facts span borders. A no-hit in one database should not be stretched into proof that no registration duty or criminal history exists. Each public registry has a defined scope, update process, and set of confidential fields.
Registration Requirements and Levels in Texas
Texas began registration in 1991, and the law has changed in each legislative session since then. Current Chapter 62 controls Medina County registration. The Texas DPS registration program explains how local authorities maintain records, submit updates, and carry out notice duties.
The program page places each Medina County registration office within the statewide reporting and public-notification system.
| Level / Tier | Duration | Verification Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, lifetime category | Life under the categories listed in article 62.101 | Usually annual; 90 days for two or more sexually violent offenses |
| Adult, non-lifetime category | Until ten years after the latest statutory release, discharge, or dismissal point | Usually annual |
| Juvenile adjudication | Until ten years after disposition or completion of its terms, whichever is later | As the governing status requires |
| Juvenile tried and convicted or deferred as an adult | Until ten years after the latest release, supervision discharge, or dismissal point | As the governing status requires |
| Extrajurisdictional duty | Until the duty ends under the other jurisdiction, federal law, or UCMJ | As applicable law requires |
| Civil Commitment | Based on the controlling court and statutory status | Every 30 days |
After arriving at a Medina County address, registration is due by the later of the seventh day or the first date the authority's policy allows. Moves within Texas require an in-person report to the current authority no later than seven days before the move and another report within seven days after arrival. An out-of-state move must be reported at least seven days before leaving, with registration at the destination no later than the tenth day after arrival.
Medina County High-Risk Registry Notices
Texas DPS sends English- and Spanish-language postcards to the immediate community when a Level 3 high-risk registrant or a civilly committed sexually violent predator is released into or plans to move into an area. The local authority may also publish authorized information in a newspaper or similar local publication. These notices serve community awareness and safety planning. They do not invite residents to confront anyone.
Texas does not impose one statewide distance rule on every registered residence. Chapter 62 is generally silent on a universal limit, apart from its higher-education campus rule. Probation or parole terms can add personal restrictions, and a general-law municipality may adopt a child-safety-zone ordinance under Local Government Code section 341.906. For a Medina County address, check the relevant city code and the person's supervision terms rather than assuming a fixed statewide footage limit.
Note: A risk label, registration term, verification schedule, and residence condition are separate legal facts that should be checked one by one.
Lawful Use and Community Notification
Public registry information supports personal, family, and neighborhood safety. Use it to understand a listed address, plan age-appropriate safety talks, or decide when to contact law enforcement about suspected noncompliance. DPS states that failure to comply with registration duties is a felony. Report a concern to the police department responsible for a city address or to the Medina County Sheriff's Office for an unincorporated address. Do not investigate or confront the person yourself.
Use Registry Data Lawfully: Misuse of Medina County registry information to harass, threaten, intimidate, discriminate, or commit another unlawful act may be a crime under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 62. Contact law enforcement instead of taking personal action.
Chapter 62 also limits what the public can obtain. Confidential contact, employer, online-identifier, victim, and personal identification fields remain protected even if a local authority holds them. A request under the Texas Public Information Act does not turn those protected items into public registry data.
Correcting Medina County Registry Information
When a Medina County profile appears out of date, first note the exact field and the registration jurisdiction shown. The local authority maintains the registration and sends data to DPS, so an address or status concern begins with the responsible municipal police department or sheriff. Call the published main line and ask for the current registration contact. Do not seek private fields or ask an officer to disclose facts that Chapter 62 keeps confidential.
Registrants must report intended moves and specified changes, including changes to name, physical health, online identifiers, job status, and educational status. That duty does not guarantee that every public display changes at once. Give the authority enough public detail to identify the record, explain the apparent mismatch, and ask which correction channel applies. For a broader explanation of the program, use the DPS registration page and FAQ rather than a third-party listing.
Suspected failure to register should be reported, not tested through personal contact. Call the appropriate Medina County law-enforcement office, or 911 when there is an emergency. The officer can assess the current legal duty, data timing, and any nonpublic facts.