How Do I Reinstate My Bail Bond?

Another “Best Answer”  chosen by Voters at Yahoo! Answers.

Question:   A warrant was issued for my arrest in San Diego County for a failure to appear. When I flew from the Bay Area to San Diego and met with the intern that was handling my case, I was very pleased to learn that the case was dismissed.  Unfortunately, now I have a bail recovery agent attempting to locate me for my arrest.  It is disappointing to find out this case was never dismissed, however I am willing to take care of this matter as soon as possible.

If I contact the bail bondsman, will they reinstate the bond so that I am not arrested?  I do not have a criminal history, and I even have a clean driving record.  I am the only signer on the bail bond contract, I own property and have good credit.  I would a prefer a lien against my condo rather than being chased by a fugitive recovery agent. 

Answer:   Your case is very common and something we see regularly.  The bondsman is likely to reinstate the bond, especially if the circumstances are as clean as indicated. The first thing you will want to do is to contact the bail bondsman and ask for a reinstatement.  There is often a nominal charge for this.

If the bondsman is unwilling or is unable to reinstate the bond, you will want Read more »

Quaids’ Santa Barbara Bail Bondsman Loses $1 Million

Two months after the initial appeal, the American Surety Company was denied its request to have the Santa Barbara bail bonds for Randy and Evi Quaid exonerated.

The bond company is now out the $1 million bail it posted on behalf of the Quaid’s over a year ago. The couple was arrested in September 2010 for illegally living in a property they used to own in Santa Barbara County. They claimed that they were still the rightful owners of the home. While in the home, the couple moved furniture around, broke a mirror, and carved “RQ” into the mailbox.

The couple was Read more »

What Happens if I Bail Someone Out of Jail and They Skip Court?

When a friend or family member has been arrested, they may turn to you for help in posting their bail. If you agree to help them, you will have the option to either pay the full bail amount directly to the court or jail, or to use the services of a licensed bail bondsman.

But be careful and fully consider the impact of signing a bail bond contract. When you sign a contract with a bail bond company, you become Read more »

How Does a Bail Bondsman and a Bounty Hunter Make Money?

Today’s Ask the Bondsman question comes from Yahoo! Answers, where we frequently answer bail related questions. Our answer was choosen by readers as the best answer to the question.

Question: How do bail bondsmen and bounty hunters make money?

Answer: A bail bondsman makes money from the “premium” which is legally mandated in most states at 10% of the total bail amount. That is a fee for providing bail services.  Given the defendant goes to court, the bondsman pockets that amount.  Of course, profit is determined after operating costs like insurance, advertising, office space, payroll, etc.

A bounty hunter, better known as a ”fugitive recovery agent,” operates Read more »

Is it Possible for a Bail Bond to be Reinstated?

This question comes from Yahoo Answers where we often answer bail related questions.

Question: I missed my court date because I was moving.  A bench warrant was issued even after me calling the public defender and the court house to notify them.   I placed a call to my bail bondsman and he said he could give me a reinstatement of the bail bond so that I could take it to the court to get another court date.  I am going to the court house tomorrow.  What will happen?  Will I go to jail?

Answer: This is a common situation. When you miss a court date, a bench warrant will automatically be issued. Your bondsman is required to be notified. You did the right thing in calling the public defender, court and your bondsman.

Bail bonds can be Read more »

Is It Possible To Revoke A Bail Bond?

This question comes from Yahoo! Answers, where we answer questions about bail bonds on a regular basis. On this question, ours was chosen by reader vote as the Best Answer.

Question:  Is it possible to revoke a person’s bail bond? I put up a bond for a friend, but here lately my gut feeling is telling me he is going to “jump bail”. He is scheduled for court next month. So I really want to protect myself and find out if there is a way I can revoke his bond.

Answer: Yes, it is possible to have the bail bond revoked.  If you are using a bail bondsman, you should call them to discuss the matter. 

Revoking a bond can be somewhat complicated. Your bondsman Read more »

Is a Co-Signer Responsible for the Full Bail Amount?

Today’s question comes from Yahoo Answers, where we regularly answer bail related questions: 

Question: If someone signs a bonds paper as a co signer do they really have to pay for the full bail amount if I don’t show up?

Answer:  It is a fact that a co-signer on a bail bond is agreeing to pay the full bail amount  if the defendant does not show up  to court and cannot be located.

In most states, when the defendant doesn’t show up to court as promised, the bondsman and the co-signer have some time to get the defendant back into court. As long as defendant goes back, the co-signer will not pay the full bail amount. They will need to pay only if the defendant cannot be located.

That said, why would you not show up? You certainly do not want to be running from the law — every state has access to warrants nationwide. The reason the bail bonds system is effective is because the bondsman will come looking for you. Between the legal system and the bondsman, it would be best for you to simply go to court. Plus, someone was generous enough to get you out of jail. The least you can do is take care of your situation so they are no longer on the hook.

If you’ve already missed your court date, you can easily arrange a new court date and your bondsman can help. You should call right away.

Got a bail related question? Ask The Bondsman

Alternative Bail Bond Bill Goes Nowhere

As reviewed by American Surety Company, Colorado’s Alternative Bond bill SB11-186 failed to pass before the 2011 legislative session ended. This bill would allow Colorado courts to take part in the bail bond business. The courts would be able to collect a premium, normally paid to bail bond agents for posting a defendant’s bail. The court, unlike a bail agent, would not have to pay the full bond amount if a defendant does not appear for court. Clearly a fatal flaw.  There’s no incentive on the part of the defendant and no one but public safety officials to pick up those who fail to appear.

The bill managed to pass in the Senate by a very thin margin (18-17), but didn’t have enough time to get passed in the House. It’s more likely, though, that arguments and evidence brought up by commercial bail bondsmen were Read more »

Ask The Bondsman: What Happens If I Bailed Someone Out Who Is Arrested Again?

We answer questions at Yahoo! Answers regularly. Here’s one: What happens if I co-signed a bail bond for someone who goes back to jail?

Answer: Upon co-signing the bail bond, you became responsible for a couple of things:

• to pay the fee to the bail bondsman (generally 10% in California, but this varies by state)
• to guarantee that the defendant shows up for required court cases
• to help the bondsman get the defendant back into the court system if they do not show up as required (called failure-to-appear)

Assuming the defendant you signed for is in jail based on the same case, Read more »

What Are Bounty Hunters?

In some cases, you may hear a bounty hunter referred to as a “bail enforcement agents.” These people provide a legal service to obtain defendants. Sometimes, depending on the state, the bail bondsman may also be required to be present at the time of apprehension to be sure the bounty hunter has the correct person. If for some reason they obtain the wrong person, both the bail bondsman and the bounty hunter can be charged with false arrest.

Depending on the state of residency, that will determine what laws are in place for these occurrences. Some states have very strict laws for obtaining a defendant who has skipped bail.

When a person hires a bail bonds company Read more »