Can Police Officer Arrest Without a Warrant for Domestic Violence In Texas ?

A police officer may arrest, without a warrant, a person the officer has probable cause to believe has committed an assault resulting in bodily injury to a member of the person's family or household. TEX. CODE CRIM. P. ANN. Art. 14.03(a)(4) (Vernon Supp. 2000). Probable cause does exist where the police have reasonably trustworthy information sufficient to warrant a reasonable person to believe a particular person has committed, or is committing, an offense. Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85, 87 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997). Probable cause deals with probabilities; it requires more than simply suspicion, but much less evidence than that needed to support a conviction. Id. We examine the totality of the circumstances to see if there was probable cause to arrest appellant. Amores v. State, 816 S.W.2d 407, 413 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991).