OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL 

AUSTIN 

OF TEXAS 

XomrabIe C, LJIM Z?iller 

county Attorney, Bee county 

Beeri lie a Texar 

‘Dear iSir: 

Your lett 

opinion of thlr dopa 

reabe, la part, 6~ 

3 AHiOlW 8884p a0 

oapiar ‘pro tina to 06~06 

ent ana a#iolo 698 rtde), 

o~ement o? ao~.jadgeunt inma ,-6am 0t the 

ProofAur~ arr applloabli* 80 rar 

am neooooary io oarry ,qut tha pro~is~+zy of thie 

azfial*.’ 

*Purtbar, It either with04 ir opea; and it 

le pwelt 8 matter ot obo%or,~ who should EDakr the 

doofrlon, of whioh method to we, the County Judge, 

the County xttornoy or the County Clark? 
Bonorabla 0. Lyno YlUer, page 8 

"It la ng oontention aa County Attorney, 

that the defendant Ia, after all, primarily 

llablo for the fine and ooste, and that the 

surety la, after all, only eeoondarlly lIabla.W 

Artlole 698, Vern~n~a Annotated Code of Criminal 

Proooalwe, proYlaear 

“On oaoh verdict ot aopulttal or aonvlotloa, the popor judgmnt almll bo entered lmmdlat.11. It aoqulttd the aer8nam shall be at onoe 

dIaO&rgod from all turther liability upon the oharge 

for whloh ho war tried; provided that, lo mlrdemaanor 

oaaim where there la returned a rerdlot, or a plea 

oi guilty la entered and the punlahment aeaeased la 

by iin0 only, the Court May, on wrItton raquest 0r 

the defendant and ror good oauae ehown, defer judgment until aom other day fired by order o? the Court; 

but in ,110 erd ahall the judpnt be deferred for a 

lbnger then eIx (6) mnth~o. On explratlon o? the t fixed by the order OS the Court, tha 

Court of Judge t+rtof, sba3.l sntes judgmmt on the 

verblot or plea aad the. #ail* ahall be ereauted’aa 

pro?i4ed bf Ohapter 4, Title 9, ,oi thq 0ode.d Criminal 

w000aan of tha States of !J!*xaa. -provided turther, that 

the Coart oT. J’adp thereof ‘In the. kxerble6 af aoound 

disbretloa -‘.ky pe.rm&t the defendant wheri j~itlgment la 

deforrrd, t.6 trmaln at large da his cm reoogalsan8o, 

or mry require him to enter Into band in a l uta at 

leaat doubla the emount of the aareaard fine and ooeta, 

oondltloned that, the defendant and auretira, jointly 

and aerrrally, wIU pay auoh fine and ooata unleaa tha 

dafeadau~ porronally appwa oa the day, rit in the order and dlaohargea thr jud&$uent in the aanner prcirldrd 

by Ohaptar 4, Title 9 of the Code of Criminal Pro oedure ; 

or the State of Texari and ior the enforoement o? any 

judgment entered all writa, pr0008(LO@ and remdiea ot 

the Oodo oi Crlm!.nal Pmoedure WO made applloablo ao 

zl;;et:oea8ary A~ oarry out the provlalonr or thI8 
Honorable C. Lyne PLiller, page J 

Prior to the amendment of Artiale 698, aupre, in 

1931 #aid artlole re ulrad that the proper judgment “be entered imwdiately.” iIt3 rotorore, In Oplakon Ho. O-3488 thla 

dsparti&nt randsrad an opinion relating to the forfeitare of 

bonds Iaaued and eraouted under Artiole 698 and rarlow other 

quo at lone. We are onolosfng a oopy or this oplnlod for your 

oonvenlenoo. 

In tfew 0r t& raets *tat& la your Iaqulry and 

in virtue ot Artlolo 690, aupza, Chapter 4, PitAa 9 of the 

Oodo of OrImInal Prooeaure ot the State ot Texas and our 

Oplnlon O-SdS8, it la our oplnloa that the boml l hould bo 

torfolted and that a saplas pro fine should laaua al80 and, 

ia the event the oapiae pro riw 1~ l xeo a te8ta k8atiafiod a 

by the detendaat paying the tine and owta, or remaining in 

jail a autiioient length of tima to aatldy the aam, or If 

the defeadant aatidlea the jodgmant by working la the work 

houae, aouaty farm or pub110 tiprorenwntr of the eeunty as 

authorlead by the atutea, the Court oould rat aalde Ita 

order forrelting the bond. 

You attaah i oopy of the bond to paur InqaIr$ and 

aak if the bond ia tall&. Tha Court ot Criminal Appeala, Insofar 

aa wo hare been able to detarmlne haa not rendered +ny opinion 

regarding the vrliaitt or invalldhy 0r bonds f88u6a 8na exeouted 

a@or Artlole 698, aupra. k hare oaretolly aonildared the bond 

pxo8ente4 and note that it oonkpliea with the atatute ia 8oma reLi%% itbtdia. 

marefore, wa 8x9 not in a po8ltlon to say that thr 

I 

Trusting that 8ha ioragolng tully answers yo’octa 

lawlxy, we ax0 

Tour@ very ‘truly 

=mED ax? 14, 1943 

ATTO; 

- BY 

Ardell WIUIama 

Aaaiatant