Keep Bailing

A Santa Monica man said he was locked up for five days last November because he didn’t have phone numbers of friends, family members or a bail bondsman committed to memory. Stephen Petrick was arrested and charged with false imprisonment after trying to help a pregnant woman kick a heroin habit.  Although his intentions were pure when he locked her inside his Santa Monica home so she couldn’t buy drugs, the situation quickly went downhill.

LA Weekly reports he was taken to the LA County Jail to be booked and processed.  When he was finally able to use a pay-phone to call out, Petrick realized the only number he had memorized was a friend’s cell phone number.   Cell phones, however, are unable to accept collect calls.

Petrick, whose bail had been set at $150,000; said he had no issue in being able to pay for a bail bond.  He did, however, have problems Read more »

Hollywood’s favorite “good girl” Selena Gomez is ditching her squeaky-clean image and heading to jail – or at least her character in the upcoming film Spring Breakers is.

The Disney Star will be partying, drinking, and getting crazy with her girlfriends, she told US  Weekly.  In one scene, the coeds even wind up robbing a restaurant as a means of funding the trip.   Although the edgy part is a far-cry from her off-screen persona, Gomez said she was up for the challenge and embraced the role. Viewers should keep in mind that movie-set jails are quite different from what celebrity female arrestees like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan experienced when they were booked into the Lynwood Jail, the Los Angeles County women’s jail.

As far as having concerns about her younger, tween-fans Read more »

Greg Rynerson Bail Bonds is continuing to expand on its already top-notch customer service by creating the first ever California’s Top 50 Criminal Defense Attorneys Online list.

California law prohibits bail bonds companies from making attorney referrals.  The Top 50 Criminal Defense Attorneys Online list was thus created by allowing people to nominate attorneys who they feel are the most influential and have the strongest social media presence.

All nominees underwent a stringent evaluation process and the winners were selected based on Read more »

Tuolumne County submitted an application, along with seven others, in order to receive funding from the state for a new jail complex. County officials were hoping for a maximum $33 million for the project. However, the county ranks lowest in priority among the small counties that applied.

The total cost of the proposed project in Tuolumne County Jail is estimated at $48 million. The other counties that applied for the small county category of funding are Kings, Shasta, Sutter, Madera, Imperial, San Benito and Siskiyou.

There is only $102 million available from the state for county corrections projects and the eight counties requested a total of Read more »

Suspect Handcuffed To Stairs By Bail Bondsman

Perhaps filed under the category of “Why Choose A Bondsman Wisely” or “How Not Run a Bail Business” comes today’s Fun Friday in Bail story: A Missouri bail bondswoman decided to take matters into her own hands after police refused to accept an alleged fugitive suspect into custody. Instead of releasing him, the bondsman handcuffed him to the stairs in her home. She was later arrested and charged with false imprisonment for the her actions. Hmm… no kidding?

KY-3 TV has reported that Jean Marie Chartier brought Reynaldo Delarosa to a Webb City jail in an attempt to revoke his bond but was denied because she did not have a court order.  Instead of letting him go she apparently transported him to her home and handcuffed him to the banister of her staircase. Court documents indicate it was her intention to detain him until she was able to speak with a judge the following day. Reportedly the defendant was confined in her home for at least 24-hours and was released only after his friends co-signed a $7,500 bond. Interesting way to get clients to pay. I don’t think we’ll try it.

In the state of Missouri, like California, it is illegal for a bondsman and/or bail recovery agent to detain a person longer than it takes to get them to the jail. They are also prohibited from cuffing suspects unless they are being taken to a jail.

Chartier is currently Read more »

Having to find a bail bondsman for the assistance of having to bail someone out of jail is not likely to be an every day occurrence for most people.  Some may find it very intimidating and confusing since it is something they have never had to do.  In addition, they do not know what is required of them, except many tend to think that they will automatically need collateral.  This is not always the case; in this edition of Bail Bonds: Fact or Fiction, we address bail bonds and collateral.

Fact or Fiction:  All Bail Bonds Require Collateral

Fiction: Although some bail bonds companies will require you post something of value (known collateral) to ensure the defendant will appear in court or for a payment plan, other bondsmen provide no collateral bail bonds, which clearly means collateral will not be required. Usually, the need for collateral is based on Read more »

An investigator employed at the Kern County Public Defender’s office is under investigation.  According to reports, Dave Brown is being investigated for alleged “misuse” of the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) program.

The complaint charges that Brown used his access to CJIS to find information on defendants he was never asked to investigate.  It is further alleged he then personally billed Liberty Bail Bonds and Aladdin Bail Bonds, both of whom do Kern County bail bonds,  for “investigative hours” and “fugitive recovery” services.

Attorneys for the six defendants Brown checked up on have said they had not requested Read more »

The Los Angeles Times reported that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has announced that the Chowchilla women’s jail in Madera County will be converted to house low-and-medium level male inmates, instead.

The CDCR said the conversion will help to alleviate the adult male inmate overcrowding problem and avoid staff layoffs at the institution.

The conversion is scheduled to happen in three phases and is expected to be complete by July 2013.  The facility currently houses 3,171 female inmates.  The level of male inmates and staff is expected to be similar once the project is complete. The conversion at Chowchilla will allow the CDCR to create additional space for male inmates by using an existing facility while maintaining its workforce.

The CDCR said that with the implementation of the California jail realignment that the department expects Read more »

The Orange County Register Tuesday reported that the County Board of Supervisors has approved a plan to add 512 beds to the James A. Musick jail. This decision, the OCR said, paves the way for Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to apply for a $100 million state grant. The county will not know whether they will receive the grant funding until early 2013.  Construction, if approved, would not reach completion until 2018.

Although a number of residents have voiced opposition to the plan Sheriff’s officials maintain that the facility will “continue to house minimum security inmates” only.   The expansion is needed, they said, due to the state’s prison realignment program.  Proponents of the plan have pointed out that Orange County jails received close to 300 new inmates during the first month of implementation alone.

Eventually, plans for the facility would include expanding the 1,250-bed facility to 7,500 beds.  The cost to operate the expanded facility would be approximately $28 million per year.  Sources within the Sheriff’s Department said that funding sources Read more »

Paying for Bail Bonds and Financing Options

It’s no great secret that the economic waters continue to be a little rough.   Right now many people are stretching their paychecks just to make ends meet.  This is something that’s hitting people from all across the board, from all walks of life, and from all income brackets and backgrounds.  Having money stashed aside in a “just in case I need to bail someone out of jail-fund” is likely not something you have.

In this edition of Bail Bonds: Fact or Fiction, we address questions regarding California bail bonds payments and financing a bail bond.

Fact or Fiction: You Have To Pay For A Bail Bond Prior To Release From Jail

Fiction:  With many bondsmen, yes, you do need to pay the full bond amount (10% of the total bail) prior to the defendant being release from jail. However, there are California bail bonds companies that offer Read more »