Art. 13A.554 FELONY OFFENSE COMMITTED BY CIVILLY COMMITTED SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR

If someone has been civilly committed as a sexually violent predator and then commits a felony, prosecutors have more than one option for where to file charges. They can bring the case in the county where the crime actually happened, just like with any other felony.

But there's a second option too. Prosecutors can also file the case in the same court that's handling the person's ongoing civil commitment case. This is the court that oversees the person's supervision and treatment requirements under their commitment order.

This rule exists because these cases often involve special monitoring and legal oversight that's already happening in one specific court. Letting prosecutors choose that court, instead of forcing them to file only where the crime occurred, can make it easier to coordinate the criminal case with the person's existing commitment requirements.