by Anita Miller

Hays County Commissioners last week voted to add a third officer to oversee pre-trial inmates released from custody and equipped with ankle monitors.

The need is clear, according to Lisa Pacheco of Hays County’s Adult Probation Office. The number of defendants in the county’s pre-trial bond program has soared, from 59 when the program was created in 2016 to 334 in September. That is an increase of 440 percent.

She said the need for an additional officer came up from the ...