Keep Bailing

Roger Avery, one of the co-writers of cult hit film “Pulp Fiction” found himself in hot water, off furlough and behind bars in a Ventura County Jail today.

According to the Associated Press, his move to the main jail comes after ‘tweeting’ about serving time in a Ventura County work furlough program rather than in jail. However, it is unclear where his ‘tweets’ were really coming from.

Avary was given one year in jail in September for a car crash in Ojai he caused, killing a passenger and injuring his wife. Avary was not under full-time custody at the Ventura County Jail rather, he was allowed to attend his job during the day and report back to the furlough facility at night and on weekends.

But now, the details of Avery’s second act have changed.  Officials Read more »

Too much temptation at a church has led to the arrest of a former LAPD officer turned security guard. According to an Orange County Sheriff’s spokesperson, Charles Mottern of Irvine, age 45  was arrested on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property, and evading and resisting arrest. 

In August of 2008, Mottern worked at the Saddleback Church as a security guard, when church officials started to notice items like cash, cameras, computers and radios missing.

Thursday, security guards responded to a burglary Read more »

Ms. Partin must have been moved by the Thanksgiving spirit, when she told reporters she just wanted to help him after initially voting him “guilty.” Mary Partin, ‘pardoned’ a man she helped put in a San Luis Obispo jail, by personally putting up his $5,000 bail on Tuesday.

Seems she regretting having been part of the jury that convicted San Luis Obispo rancher, Dan De Vaul, 66, of two misdemeanor violations. He was given 90 days in jail for housing tenants on his property illegally.

In September, Read more »

“I hate you — I wish you were dead!”  What parent hasn’t had this line screamed at them, when fighting with an angry teen?  But maybe one Houston dad should have paid closer attention to his daughter’s bad behavior, or at least taken the promise ”Till death do us part” made by his bride of 20 years, to heart.

Last week, David Shamp’s wife and daughter were arrested and charged for solicitation of capital murder after Harris County Sherriff’s investigators uncovered their plot to hire a hit man to kill him.  Shamp, 43, clings to the hope his daughter, Ashley, 18, was negatively influenced by his wife.  But police say Ashley knew her mom wanted to kill her dad.  Like a scene ripped from the pages of some very hormonal, misunderstood teen’s diary, Ashley set up a meeting with her ex-boyfriend to persuade her ex to ‘do him up’.  

But the ex-boyfriend had no qualms  ‘spilling’ about ‘all the drama’, went to police and wore a wire to their meeting.  He claims Catherine Shamp told him that “she wanted [David] gone and she didn’t care how it was done”.  Mom offered $20,000 to have her hubby hacked  and then gleefully outlined her plan to lure Shamp away to the movies so the ex could pretend to burglarize their house and kill him upon their return. She even threw in a ‘bonus’ of beating her up to make it look real.

After her arrest, Catherine Shamp, 38, told investigators Read more »

It’s the story bail bondsmen around the world are talking about:  A Swiss Court has just granted international film director Roman Polanski, 76, bail yesterday. The court reversed it’s previous rejection of setting a bail, saying it is now confident the high bond — 4.5 million — plus continued electronic monitoring of Polanski’s chalet in the Swiss resort of Gstaad, will compel him to remain in the country under house arrest.

Meanwhile, Swiss officials still continue to gauge whether or not they should extradite the infamous director to the United States, which has demanded his return.  The Swiss Justice Ministry tempered the court’s decision by Read more »

A BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Police Officer, who’s name has not been released, was injured by shards of falling glass Saturday at the West Oakland BART station. The laceration injury to his head and face occured during the arrest of 37-year-old, Michael Joseph Gibson, a San Leandro man who was claimed to have been shouting at other riders – and the entire incident was caught on tape.

The video, which was uploaded to YouTube, shows the officer entering the train and grabbing Gibson. He then lead him to the opposite side of the platform. The YouTube video, which was titled to suggest the officer forced Gibson’s head into the glass, actually appeared to show Gibson throwing his right arm forward right before the glass shattered.

Gibson, who’s had a history of mental problems was also injured in the arrest and taken to a hospital. He was later transported to the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on battery and Read more »

Bail Bonds Demystified

If your friend or family member is arrested, they could be stuck in jail for days, even weeks.  Posting bail is a fast, easy way to get them released until they must return to court.

You may already know that a bail bondsman is the person who goes to the jail to secure that release with a bond.  But do you actually know what a bail bond is and how it works?

A Bail Bond Is…

A bail bond is a paper document, much like a bank check, that is recognized by our courts.  People should not write checks unless they have provided enough money in their bank account to cover them.  A bail bondsman also makes a monetary promise that says: I guarantee the defendant will appear in court whenever a judge requires, on a specific date and time, or I will cover the entire amount of his bail.

Responsibilities When Co-Signing

But this promise is too risky for a bail bondsman to make alone, so they only post bonds after a defendant, friend or family member contacts the bondsman and agrees to become the bond’s co-signer, or “Indemnitor.”   By signing a bail bond contract, Indemnitors also guarantee to help find the defendant if court is missed or pay the full amount of the bail, if the individual cannot be found.

An Indemnitor has to be in a position to offer a bail bondsman something in return if the defendant misses court.  The bondsman considers the character of his co-signer up, making a calculated judgment call based on his experience.  He often asks potential Indemnitors if they have a job and for how long.  Do they have good credit? Are they homeowners? Etc. Etc.  The questions a bondsman asks help him determine whether or not they are the kind of stable, trustworthy people he is willing to write a bond for.  In addition, an Indemnitor’s involvement encourages the defendant to remain committed to his part of the bargain.  Let’s face it, who wants to stiff someone they care about, that helped get them out of jail?

Bondsman Responsibilities

The minute a defendant is released, the jail no longer has authority over him.  He is now considered to be the property Read more »

Senator John Kerry’s daughter, Alexandra Forbes Kerry, was pulled over in the wee-hours in Hollywood by Los Angeles Police Department  for a traffic violation.

Police reported having “detected signs and symptons” of her being under the influence. She was given a breathalyzer test and charged with a misdemeanor DUI at the LAPD Hollywood Station. Ms. Kerry, an indpendant filmmaker is known for her documentaries and short films.

She was released after Read more »

What have we come to in a world where a mother of five children will resort to guerrilla tactics and air-headed iron will just to make a living? Maybe the money is good? At any rate, (bank rate that is), Roxanne Pennock, age 37 pleaded not guilty to a Riverside County Court Judge yesterday on charges she robbed two Temecula banks on October 22nd and again on November 6th.

She’s also suspected of holding up two more banks in Poway which she’s not officially been charged for, yet. Pennock was arrested in Temecula on November 6th, just minutes after a woman robbied Temecula Chase Bank. She was later stopped in a van that witnesses identified at the crime scene.

Guilty or not, Pennock is out of jail on a $25,000 bail. Her lawyer, declined to comment after she was ordered back to court on December 17th.  Officials have some further investigations to do. The FBI is now on the case along with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

To top it all off, Read more »

Fourteen student demonstrators have been arrested at UCLA for protesting against rising tuition fees which would be set to increase $585 in the coming spring, followed by a rise next fall of $1,344.  That’s a 32% increase.

A  UC Regents board meeting was interrupted by approximately 500 students during a peaceful demonstration where banners were held high as students chanted, “cut from the top!”

The California Board of Regents went ahead by approving the two-step fee hike. This hike also effects Read more »