Sheriff says curfew won’t cause automatic traffic stops

Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler made a statement saying the sheriff’s office would not be using the county’s stay-at-home curfew as a reason to stop vehicles.

County Judge Ruben Becerra issued a curfew from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., which began Thursday night, in response to COVID-19.

When deputies see a vehicle on the roads of Hays County, regardless of the time of day, they will assume it is because someone is going to work at an essential business, or doing something else permitted by the judge’s order.

“Your right to privacy is important to me. I do not feel COVID-19, as it has currently affected Hays County, should be a basis for a curfew,” Cutler said in a press release. “The virus doesn’t care what time of day it is and is just as concerning at 2 p.m. as it is at 2 a.m. A “Stay at Home, Work Safe” order, in my view, is an around-the-clock effort by this community to curb the impact of COVID-19. The challenges we have are real, the virus and the steps needed to contain it depends on all of us.”

The sheriff’s office calls residents to comply with this order voluntarily and to not leave their home unless they have to.

As usual, vehicles and pedestrians will be stopped if there is reasonable suspicion or probable cause at any time of day or night.

The sheriff’s office is still open for assistance and can be contacted day or night without fear related to being out after curfew.

“My office and I are here to stand with you,” Cutler said. “Working together, Hays County will remain strong.”