DNA Test in Exchange for Dropped Case

Orange County, California is certainly taking a creative approach to those arrested for nonviolent misdemeanors:  a $75 fee and DNA sample, in exchange for their case being dropped. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas says extending the option to give a DNA sample for those who have yet to plea one way or the other will help with the cost of testing DNA. For those who decide to pay the fee and donate their DNA, their case will be handled “informally,” meaning the case will be dropped and defendants will be given the option of paying restitution... Read more

Don’t Let Pretrial Services Attack the Bail Industry

The National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies has released the first issue of their “Advocacy Brief.” Entitled “The Truth About Commercial Bail Bonding in America,” this article is filled with specious claims that spin facts and figures to support the abolition of commercial bonding. The 10 page document, available online, paints the commercial bail system as a money-hungry monster who cares little about community or justice. Labeled “Facts & Positions,” this paper consistently falls back on the argument... Read more

Judge to Decide Who Gets $250,000 Forfeiture

A Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania judge has to make the decision of who should get $250,000 in bail from a 2005 forfeiture case - the county or the bail agency. Liberty Bail Bonds, the bail agency that bailed out Ralph Skundrich before he cut his electronic monitoring bracelet and fled in 2005, claims that state officials only found Skundrich because of pages of evidence they had amassed in their hunt for him. State officials claim that Skundrich was located off a tip that had nothing to do with Liberty Bail Bonds. Read the complete story here.  Read More →

Florida Bail Agent Faces Additional Criminal Charges

Florida bail agent Joseph Houston is already due in court next month to face charges of soliciting bail business inside the jail and will also be facing charges of allowing a employing a felon and allowing  an unlicensed agent to write bail. Houston, along with employee Juanita Williams, are accused of depositing money into inmates’ commisary accounts. Read the entire story here.  Read More →

Burglary Suspect Says He Was Looking for Fugitive

Brandon Gillenwater was arrested for allegedly burglaizing a residence. The Kingsport, Tennessee police department claim Gillenwater had broken a window at the residence he is accused of burlgarizing. Police came to investigate after a neighbor reported the incident. Gillenwater claimed he was working for A-Hood Bonding Company and was looking for a fugitive. The owner of A-Hood Bonding, Allyn Hood, countered that argument by asserting that, while Gillenwater had helped the company in the past by providing information about where skips were  located,... Read more

Memphis Bondsman Running for Mayor

Dewey Clark, owner of Clark Bail Bonds in Memphis, Tennessee is running for mayor in Memphis in a special election. While Clark has never held elected office, he spent several years as the assistant to Atlanta’s mayor. He hopes to reduce the crime rate in Memphis should he be elected. Read more here.  Read More →

PBAI 20th Anniversary Conference

The Professional Bail Agents of Idaho will be celebrating their 20th anniversary with a conference in Jackpot, Nevada. The conference will take place September 9th through September 10th at Cactus Pete’s Casino. For more information, visit the PBAI website.  Read More →

Does Your Bail Agency Have Adequate Insurance Coverage?

Business cycles, competition, changes in laws, the economy and the internet have made business owners more savvy in finding new revenue sources. Like real estate agents, who have expanded their revenue stream to include property managers, appraisers, leasing agents, and title escrow services, bail agents too can offer multiple services, such as private investigation and process service in addition to writing bail bonds. As they say, “business is business”. This is the American way for ambitious entrepreneurs to provide and offer a mix of services... Read more

LA Bondsman’s License Suspended

Bail Agent Scotty Lee Tull of Denham Springs, Louisiana, has had his bail license temporarily suspended after being accused of misappropriating bail premiums. Tull was fined $8,400 by the Louisiana Department of Insurance after allegedly collecting over $15,000 worth of bail premiums without sending the premiums to his company. Read the entire story here.  Read More →

CT Insurance Commissioner Wants Tighter Bail Regulations

In light of recent allegations that Connecticut bail agents were allowing defendants to pay just a percentage of the required bail premium, allowing defendants to be released on bond for a lesser sum than judges set, state Insurance Commissioner Thomas Sullivan has announced that he and his department will be cracking down on discount bail premiums. Though legislation to strenghten statutes requiring a specific percentage of bail premium did not pass, Sullivan will continue to push for tougher legislation in 2010. Read the entire article here.  Read More →

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