Despite the post-9/11 name, most terroristic-threat cases are arguments that got loud — and the statute requires far more than anger: intent to place someone in fear of imminent serious bodily injury.
Charge: Terroristic Threat — Penal Code § 22.07
Level: Class B misdemeanor (base); Class A (family/public servant); felony variants
Range: 180 days county jail (Class B) up to third-degree felony exposure by variant
Court: County Court at Law or district court, by variant
How these cases play out in Central Texas courts
‘Imminent’ does heavy legal work. Conditional statements (‘if you ever come back here…’), future-tense venting, hyperbole, and drunk texts routinely fail the imminence element when the full context surfaces — which is why preserving complete message threads and witness accounts matters immediately. Family-member variants carry family-violence findings with their lifetime consequences; school-related and public-servant variants carry their own dynamics and escalated attention. The pattern across all of them: context reconstructed beats fragments quoted in a police report.
Questions we hear about this charge
It was one text in a fight — they screenshotted just that line. Defense?
The full thread is the defense. Fragments create imminence that context destroys. Preserve everything — deleted content included, through counsel.
Can words really be a crime in Texas?
Threats meeting every element, yes. But the elements — intent, imminence, serious bodily injury — are demanding, and most heated speech doesn’t meet them.
My kid said something at school — what happens now?
School threat cases move through both juvenile/criminal and school-discipline tracks simultaneously. Handle them together and involve counsel before any ‘informal chat’ with administrators or officers.
Facing a TERRORISTIC THREAT charge?
The first weeks decide what’s possible — evidence preservation, bond terms, and early litigation posture. Criminal defense in Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bexar, and Bastrop counties is provided by Stephen T. Bowling, DWI & Criminal Defense Attorneys — former police officers who know how these cases are built. Free consultation, 24/7, flat-fee quote included.
General Texas legal information, not legal advice for your specific case. Enhancements, priors, and case facts change punishment exposure. Last reviewed July 2026.