Bail Blotter: Bond System Key Issue for Magistrate Race

• October 16, 2012
• by AboutBail Staff
• In the News

Each week AboutBail combs the web for the latest and most interesting industry news stories to bring you the Weekly Bail News.

Man Alleges Money Missing After Bondsmen Visit

LORAIN, OH – A man claims that he is missing $150 in cash after Ohio bondsmen visited his home and went through his wallet. The man filed a police report over the issue, alleging that bondsmen from T-Bonds arrived at his home armed and were looking for a bond skip. The bondsmen went through a number of wallets at the home, claiming they were looking for identification. No one at the home was the person the bondsmen were looking for and after the bondsmen left the residence one of the men noticed that the $150 that was in his wallet was missing. The bondsman denied taking the money, according to police, and T-Bonds has not made a statement about the incident.

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Lawsuit Filed Against Bondsmen

HUTCHINSON, KS – A lawsuit has been filed in Reno County District Court, seeking $75,000 in damages after armed Kansas bondsmen forced their way into a home. According to the lawsuit, the bondsmen entered the wrong home in September 2011. They asked if someone named “Lorenzo” or “Melissa” was in the home, but even after being told no to both questions, the bondsmen entered the home through a back door by using a crowbar. The bondsmen searched the home, including the children’s rooms, with guns drawn, at times allegedly pointing the guns at residents of the home. The named defendants in the case include Dwight Jurgens, John Green, Roy Poyner, Jake Lawson, Tiffany Cleavenger, Gayle Benitez, and Trina Green.

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Monitoring Device May Have Been Faulty

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Omnilink is in charge of a forensic investigation of a faulty monitoring device. The company supplies the devices for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. The devices are used to keep track of defendants and those under home arrest. The possibly faulty device was on a 14-year-old who took part in a number of armed robberies. A week before the robbery spree, Omnilink noticed and reported a problem with the monitoring device in question. After replacing the device, the problems continued and the company contacted the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, although it is not clear what authorities did about the problem.

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Candidate Says Bail Bonds a Key Issue

CABELL COUNTY, WV – J. Larry Crawford, a Republican candidate in the Cabell County magistrate race, has stated that the bond system is one of the key issues for candidates seeking support. According to Crawford, citizens have voiced concerns over the system, some feel that bond should be immediate while others feel that in criminal cases bail should be denied. Crawford worked as a federal probation officer, making recommendations for bail, and he feels that this background makes him uniquely qualified to address the issue. If elected magistrate, he has stated that he will ask for criminal records in bail bond cases and increase bail bonds for those with previous convictions.

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County Expands Pretrial Release

TRAVIS COUNTY, TX – In Travis County, most accused have four options for bail. They can work with a Texas bondsman, they can pay the cash amount of the bond, they can hire an attorney for bail, or they can seek approval for a personal bond. According to the American Bar Association, detainees held before their trials cost $9 billion in tax dollars and about half of the over 67,000 inmates in Texas as of autumn 2012 were being held. Now, court officials in Travis County want to see more people released on personal bonds in order to save the county money. Bondsmen are opposed to the idea, saying it is risky to release defendants with no financial motive to show up in court. The idea, they say, will also hurt bondsmen businesses in the state.  

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Tow Truck Driver May Have Violated Bond

BEAUFORT COUNTY, SC – Tow truck driver Preston Oates has been accused of shooting and killing a man in 2010 and now is accused of violating the terms of his bond. Under the terms of his $200,000 bond, Oates is not allowed to leave his father’s house but cell phone records show that Oates placed calls from outside the home. When questioned, Oates denied having a cell phone. In addition, Oates may have posted a phony profile on a dating website.

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Questions Raised About Bail Bond Defaults

DADE COUNTY, GA – According to a local newspaper, three bail bond companies owe the county $313,913.50 for unpaid bail bonds. Some of the debts date back to 2005. The newspaper reported that Gary’s Bail Bonds alone owes the county $216,868.90, including more than $100,137.50 for one 2011 bail bonds. Brock Bonding reportedly owes the county $50,405 with some defaults dating back to 2005. Dade Bale Bonds has the third highest debts, at $46,639.60. There is a statute of limitations in the county, so after some time the county may no longer be able to collect the debts.

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