Keep Bailing

In more celebrity arrest news, Mel Gibson’s conviction for drunk driving was finally expunged this week.  He has met the requirements of his probation after his 2006 drunk driving arrest.

However, in an attempt to uncover what some are saying was a media leak from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, authorities have discovered two calls were made to Harvey Levin of TMZ the exact day of Gibson’s arrest. 

One of the arresting Sheriff Deputies, James Mee stated he did nothing wrong and declined to comment any further. But phone records Read more »

As last year, California bail agents met at Lake Tahoe for the 2009 Annual Convention of the California Bail Agents (CBAA). Day one was Monday and included the usual State of the Association and PBUS National Updates.

Pretrial Release

Continuing Education Credit was offered to bondsmen who attended all required sessions, the first of which was an attorney presentation regarding Pre Trial Release presented by Ash Pirayou of Rutan & Tucker and a panel on Credit Card Bail. Pirayou reviewed current happenings in Pretrial Release (commonly known as Release on Own Recognizance or “OR“) in Santa Clara County. Pirayou said that Santa Clara County jailsare attempting to use pretrial release to relieve jail overcrowding and save money, but the bottom line numbers show a significantly different picture. He called on bail agents to help paint an accurate public picture.

Orange County Sheriff Candidate

Bondsmen were also addressed by Bill Hunt, candidate for Orange County Sheriff.  Hunt, who spent 22 years in the Orange County Read more »

In the first address to Los Angeles bail bondsmen since his election to City Attorney, Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich told a group assembled Sunday evening that the office he inherrited was “broken“. He added, “I was elected to clean up the office and I will.”

Trutanich gave only a brief prelude to what bondsmen would hear more about in the days to come at the Annual Meeting of the California Bail Agents Association (CBAA): “We are arresting bail agents for capping,” Trutanich told us.

Interestingly, he gave no real details to something of great importance to the California bail industry. Unethical bail agents operating illegally is a serious problem to those of us who run a clean business. I, for one, was very interested in the details.

He went on to Read more »

In what will surely be known as a ground-breaking decision for California, Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar has signed a bill that will test requiring drivers previously convicted of a DUI to install an ‘ignition interlock device’ in their cars. When a person blows into this in-car alcohol breath screening device, it will block the vehicles capacity to start should alcohol be detected on their breath.

Assemblyman Mike Feuer, a Democrat from Los Angeles wrote the bill which will expire in 2016.

The bill requires Read more »

Oh, the ever weaving web of criminal ways in the jail system. Even honest bail bondsmen, who help people get out of jail and provide a necessary public service can’t seem to escape it. 

It seems there are inmates behind bars in Orange County, aptly called “shot callers.” These people are known associates of criminal gangs who are allegedly allowed by OC jail guards to run certain areas of the jail. They believed by some to be running an elaborate bail bonds scheme. 

Reportedly, these “shot callers,” tell defendants to go see certain ‘preferred’ bail bondsman for their bond. Once these defendants have been bailed out, the “shot callers” are in-turn, given ‘kickbacks;’ a percentage of the bail money from certain dishonest bail bondsmen.

However, there are three Orange County bail agencies who are not taking this illegal practice Read more »

Talk about irresponsible. Two assumedly grown adults we’re too sloshed to drive themselves home – so they asked their 13-year-old relative to do the chauffering! 

Seems the couple have had previous run-ins with the law having been charged with DUIs, so why have to suffer through another one?

Sergeant, Rob Schneider of the San Anselmo Police Department in Marin County say the incident Read more »

In the U.S., it is reported the Swine Flu has killed approximately 400 Americans. the virus may have infected approximately 1 million people across the nation.

If you’d like to visit an inmate at the Elmwood Jail in Santa Clara County, you may have to wait for quite a long while. A new concern over Swine Flu now has officials locking the doors and turning visitors away.

Although this ban of visitors affects Read more »

You may not know his name just yet, but you’ve probably seen his face. Jason Wahler, star of MTV’s The Hills‘ and Laguna Beach, is going to serve a little more time in the brink. In 2007, Jason was charged with underage drinking which got him 2 months in a North Carolina county jail and 36 months of probation.

These days, he may be more known for his addictions to drugs and alcohol.  Maybe he should have booked a soap opera? Unfortunately, the only booking the reality star is landing is into a Yakima County, Washington jail for assault and drinking charges. Although given 120 days in jail, if he shows good behavior, he may be let out in as little as 80 days.

Then there’s the time he was arrested for Read more »