Asked 5/20/2016 – Dallas, TX

I know someone close to my family who was arrested for theft with previous conviction and with possession of controlled substance PG1. They had an appearance hearing and didn’t ever show up, there was a failure to appear and capias issued for their arrest. They have finally been caught and booked into county jail. In front of their possession charge, there is an abbreviation ROS. What exactly does this ROS mean? And how does that affect them? Will they be released from jail before they can get charged formally in front of another appearance hearing before the judge? Or will they have to stay in jail until their court appearance and charges are settled? Since last time they were arrested and booked, there was bail set and they bonded out but knowingly avoided going to their first appearance hearing.

Answer

Your friend will remain in jail until the Judge in the court where the case is assigned approves a bond amount and the required bond is posted. If bond is not allowed by the court, or is set so high that the defendant cannot post the bond, he/she will have to remain in jail until the case is resolved. You can contact a local attorney to see if an indictment has been filed in the case (which is the formal charging instrument). Don’t worry about ROS; it has no bearing on the case.