What Defendants Should Know About Appearing In Court

When a person is released from one of the California jails through the help of an expert bondsman that is not to say their legal troubles are over.  They will still be required to go to court in order to have their case decided.  One or more hearings may be required depending on the nature of the crime the defendant has been accused of.

People who are bailed out of jail will typically have their arraignment pushed back by about 30 days.  This allows the defendant additional time to prepare their case, to consult with legal council if they so choose and to make sure they can return to court dressed in an appropriate manner.   The clothes you choose will say a lot about you.  If you come in wearing baggy pants and a baseball cap this will communicate a much different message than if you walk in wearing slack, a dress shirt and a tie.  A good rule of thumb is to dress as you would if you were attending a job interview.

Another important thing to remember is that you will Read more »

Responsibilities When You Co-Sign Bail Bonds For A Friend

No one ever thinks a friend or roommate will find themselves on the wrong side of the law.  If you have received a call indicating this has happened, you will want to do your best to help out.”6″

Not everyone is in a position to help a friend out financially.  For those who can, you will want to know that helping this person be released from custody is doing more than getting them out of jail.  You are helping them to return to the work or schooling, to their family and friends, and allowing them a better opportunity to consult with an attorney to prepare their case.

The bail bonds agreement form is a lot less complicated than you might think.  The basis of the document is that you are taking responsibility your friend will go to court when they are supposed to.  You are also taking responsibility for paying the bondsman’s fee.  Some companies will require you post collateral.  Others work mostly with no collateral bail bonds.  If you are required to post an item of value to secure the bond that item is required by law to Read more »

The Process Of Posting Bail Bonds

One of the most common myths when it comes to posting bail bonds is that it will be complicated and take a lot of time. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

If you have been notified that a friend or family member has been booked into one of the California jails the first thing you will want to do is remain calm.  If this person is calling you from inside the facility you will want to grab a pen in order to jot down some important information.  You will want to ask the correct spelling of their first and last name, their date of birth, booking number, bail amount and the name of the jail they are being detained at.

Your next call should be to an expert bondman.  This person will be able to help you understand what needs to be done to get your loved one out of jail fast.  They  will begin by asking you a series of questions about the defendant, where they live, if they are employed and the nature of the crime they are being accused of.  You will then be asked to fill out a small bit of paperwork.  Once this is done and payment has been processed an agent will be sent to post the bond.

When you hire an expert bondsman you will need to pay a fee equal Read more »

Cosigner Responsibilities When A Defendant Is Rearrested

This question from Christy was recently submitted to our “Ask the Bondsman”.

Question:  If I co-signed for a bail bond for someone who is back in custody because the bail went up. Am I still responsible for the entire balance owed before they re-arrested him? Someone said I can revoke the loan- what does this mean?

Answer:  Any time a person who is out on bail the judge has authority to raise the bail amount.  This is typically done if the defendant’s case has turned into a warrant or if the judge sees an increased public safety risk or if they are just simply not adhering to specific court orders. In either case, the person will be taken into custody by the judge remanding them or by an arrest.  In order to be released, they will require a new bond.

In terms of the first bond you cosigned for, you are still responsible for Read more »

Difference: Surety Company and Bail Bonds Company

This is an Ask The Bondsman submission sent by Charlie.

Charlie’s Bail Question

In the State of California, is a surety company and a bail bonds company the same thing?

Expert Bondsman Answer

In short, the answer is no.  The Surety Company is an underwriter and the bail bonds company is an agent of that company.

The surety is the Read more »

Shasta County Bail Bonds

If you have never needed to talk to someone about Shasta County bail bonds before you are not alone.  Almost everyone that calls our office before has never needed to bail someone out of jail before.   Many of them are unfamiliar with the process, and ask we walk them through step by step.

The first thing you will want to know about signing a bail bonds contract is that you are taking on two important responsibilities.  First, you are taking responsibility that the defendant goes to court.  Depending on charges and the situation surrounding their arrest they may have more than one court date.  If the defendant misses court on accident they will want to call their Shasta bail bondsman as soon as possible, because the judge will issue a warrant for their immediate arrest. The bondsman will provide them a piece of paper to bring to the court which will allow the bond to be reinstated, the warrant lifted and their court date rescheduled.

If the defendant willfully decides to skip bail the person who signed the bail bonds contract will be contacted for assistance in locating them.  If the defendant is not returned to custody within a set period of time, they and the bondsman they worked with will be responsible for paying the defendant’s full bail amount to the court.

The second thing you need to keep in mind is that you are guaranteeing the bondsman’s fee will be paid.  In many cases this is done up front, in full, before the bond is posted.  If you have arranged a payment plan, though, you will need to make sure that payment is made as agreed.  Many Shasta County bail bonds companies offer their clients zero-percent financing.  Be sure to ask the bondsman you’re working with whether they charge interest of financing fees for payment plans.

At Tonya Page Bail Bonds we have more than 40 years of experience in helping people get out of Shasta County jails.  We will take the time to answer any questions you might have no matter the time, day or night.  For fast, immediate service call us now at 877-224-5266.

Can I Have My Name Removed from a Bail Bond

Today’s bail related topic comes from Yahoo! Answers.

Question: If I bail somebody out of jail but was was one of the persons to put a warrant against him can I be charged and go to jail?  If so, how do I get my name removed from the bond?

Recently I put a warrant against my boyfriend for domestic abuse. We eventually worked things out and got back together, although he ended up going back to jail. I then bailed him out ( which was allowed by the bail bondsman).  Later, we broke up and I decided I wanted nothing to do with him, so I requested that I be removed from the bond, and now the bondsman will not let me because I have a warrant put against him, she said that I would be charged.

Answer:  A bail bond is a legally binding contract, this means you have legally agreed to make sure he appears to all of his court dates. As far as being removed from the bond, Read more »

What Happens to Bail Payments When Rearrested?

Today’s question comes from Kelly V.

Question: If a defendant is rearrested and is making his court appearances,  is he still responsible for his bail payments or am i as the indemnitor?

Answer:  First off, if a person who is out on bail is rearrested, the monies are still owed to the bondsman who bailed him out the first time regardless of: the recent arrest, if he/she is making his court appearances, or the outcome of the case.  This is an earned fee by the bondsman as soon as the person is released from jail.

Second, the person who signed the bail bond contract (also known as the indemnitor) not only takes responsibility for the defendant to appear to all scheduled court dates, but for Read more »

Do I Need a Bail Bondsman?

Here is another question from Yahoo! Answers.  Our answer was chosen “Best Answer” by voters.

Question:  My brother got arrested and is due to appear in court. He alegedly “attempted to rob a bank” by requesting the teller to transfer $1,000 to his personal account, he never withdrew the money and left the bank. His bail is $50,000, do I need to pay $5,000 to a bondsman to bail him out or can he be released from jail?

Answer:  If you want to bail him out you can pay the full amount of $50,000 to the jail in the form of cash or a cashier’s check.  The alternative is to use a bail bondsman. The bondsman will Read more »

Can I Be Sued By A Bail Bonds Company?

Another question from Yahoo! Answers, where we were chosen as “Best Answer” by Voters.

Question:  Is it legal for the bail bonds company to sue me as the co-signer of bond agreement when the case has been dropped?  They have collected hundreds from me already.  Why do I have to pay them more?

Answer:  The basics of bail is that the bail bond agency earns their fee when the person is released from jail. The outcome of the case does not matter: guilty, innocent or no charges ever filed.  In most states, the bail bondsman cannot legally refund you even if he wanted to do so.

It sounds like you made payment plan arrangements for the bail bond fee (often 10% of the full bond amount). That is legally Read more »