Keep Bailing

Pop culture oftentimes depicts bail bondsmen as being tough, rough-and-tumble, tattooed men with long ponytails.  Even now, you’re likely conjuring up a mental image of a big, beefy guy sitting behind a desk, browsing the Internet for tattoo parlors and pool halls. Let’s just say Hollywood isn’t exactly hitting the nail on the head with the hammer.

Fact or Fiction:  Bail bondsmen wear leather, carry guns, and chase down bad guys.

Fiction:   Bail bondsmen are everyday people, who are licensed by the California Department of Insurance and are able to assist a defendant get out of jail before their court date. There are fathers, daughters, wives, sons, and even soccer moms that are bail bondsmen.

They are not Read more »

The bail bonds company that posted the $1 million bail bond for Randy and Evi Quaid is quickly running out of time.

In 2010 the Quaids were arrested, taken to a Santa Barbara County jail and charged with trespassing and felony vandalism for allegedly squatting in a Montecito home they previously owned.  The Quaids then skipped to Canada after being bailed out of jail citing the need to escape a cult that kills celebrities. In continued made-for-Hollywood twists, Beth and Duane Chapman of Dog The Bounty Hunter fame, recently issued a warning for the Quaids.

If the bail bonds company fails to produce the Quaids to law enforcement officials before Read more »

Here’s some Friday Fun for you: Hawaii News Now today reported that Duane and Beth Chapman, best known for their hit A&E television series “Dog the Bounty Hunter” are scheduled to open a “new logo and merchandise” shop in Hawaii Kai on Saturday.

The new shop, Da Kine Dog House, will compliment Beth’s Da Kine Bail Bonds business.  The store will carry DVD’s, bags, mugs, photos, books, mouse pads, clothing and more.  Locals expect the opening of Da Kine Dog House will attract swarms of fans who wand to get a closer look at life inside the Dog house.

The grand opening will be held Read more »

Randy Quaid has officially found himself atop Dog the Bounty Hunter’s “it-list”. Quaid, who is perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon’s Vacation series, has been on the run with his wife, Evi, since 2010 after they were found squatting in a Santa Barbara home.

The two were charged with felony residential burglary and misdemeanor entering a non-commercial building without consent.  Although the Quaids were released on bail, they fled to Canada in hopes of avoiding further legal action.

Dog’s wife, Beth, has come out guns-a-blazing in a Sept. 19 blog post, warning “we are coming to get you.”

“Every time you hear Read more »

Bobby Brown, a Colorado Springs bail bondsman, is suing the creators of A&E’s show Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Brown’s lawsuit was filed last wek. A&E, Hybrid Films and D&D Television are all named in the lawsuit, in which Brown claims he was only paid $6,000 for the contributions he made to the show. He is seeking over $75,000 in damages, according to court documents.

The court records show that Brown took part in more than 40 episodes, which he claims helped to lay the foundation for the series. It is also stated that Brown was not paid for each Colorado episode.

The series has earned over $400 million, gross, according to court documents. It is Brown’s belief that he deserves a portion of the show’s revenue since he is one of the stars.

In his lawsuit, Brown claims that Duane “Dog” Chapman Read more »

PBUS, Professional Bail Agents of the United States, is scheduled to hold it’s annual Winter conference February 21-24 in Las Vegas, NV at the Flamingo Hotel.

Last month, the PBUS held a small gathering in San Antonio to propose speakers for the upcoming conference and since then, have confirmed the following keynote guest speakers. Beth and Duane Chapman, from one of A&E’s top series, “Dog the Bounty Hunter” are scheduled to do several things at the upcoming PBUS. Beth Chapman will be speaking about her opinion of the bail industry and its outlook for the future. The following day, both Duane and Beth will be speaking on behalf of their hit series.

Additionally, PBUS will be holding a raffle for new members and their sponsors. Whoever brings a new colleague to PBUS will be automatically entered to win a lunch date with Duane and Beth Chapman.

Also scheduled to speak this year is “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” Joe Arpaio. Coming from Arizona, Sheriff Arpaio is a strict law-and-order representative that, in his years of service, has declared war on illegal immigration, forced inmates to wear pink and sleep in tents, and he has emphasized the punishment element of incarceration.  Sheriff Arpaio is quoted as saying [to inmates] “If you don’t like it here, don’t come back!”

Sheriff Arpaio is a controversial speaker and will be sharing his thoughts about the bail industry as well as the criminal justice system.

This year’s PBUS should be an exciting one with a lot of great information floating around as well as a great place for networking and learning more about this industry.

Don’t blame “Dog The Bounty Hunter” Chapman. He was just doing his job when he located and arrested Hoang Nguyen for not going to court on several warrants. Mr. Nguyen is suing Dog for damaging his reputation when his arrest was caught on camera for the Dog The Bounty Hunter Show. Dog’s crew allegedly used pepper pellets.

But this past Tuesday, another arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Nguyen, and it doesn’t have anything to do with Dog. This time, it was for failure to file proof of completion for a public service program regarding his driving on a suspended license.

Seems this is about the 12th time Mr. Nguyen has Read more »

I am not a Dog the Bounty Hunter fan, per se. However, when people first find out that I’m a bail bondsman the question of “Dog” inevitably comes up. So, I follow Duane Chapman, aka “The Dog”, to some limited extent.

I recently ran across an article where I learned something new about Chapman - a Tony Robbins influence:

Chapman also said that, besides religion, “my changing point was Anthony Robbins.”

When they first met, he says, Robbins said to him: “You’re the greatest challenge of my life.” They embarked on a partnership Read more »

A Bounty Hunter and a Bail Agent Are the Same, Right?

You may have heard the term Bail Agent, or have seen the bright neon signs across the street from any city jail. Perhaps you’ve heard of a Fugitive Recovery Person like “Dog the Bounty Hunter” on television? Before I explain what they do, it’s important to know that these two job titles encompass very different duties.

Pictured: Bondsman Tonya Rynerson with Bounty Hunter Zeke Unger

Although Bail Agents, more commonly called a Bondsmen, and Fugitive Recovery Agents work very closely together at times, and are often confused as being one and the same. But by definition, they are very different indeed. In California, you must be licensed and trained specifically for the job of Bail Agent and as such, you can pick up your own “skips” or those who fail to appear in court. So let’s talk a about their big differences in their jobs: Read more »

If it’s not the first question people ask, it’s the second; “You’re a bail bondsman - like Dog the Bounty Hunter?” No, actually, my job is nothing like what Beth and Duane Chapman (aka “The Dog”) do on television. A day in the life for me entails talking with mostly nice people who know someone who has made a mistake or who the authorities think has broken the law.

Quite honestly, I had never seen the Dog the Bounty Hunter show start to finish. I’d probably caught 5 or 10 minutes here or there while surfing. Still, when I cruised by A&E the other night, the show was just starting; I thought I’d give it a shot and watch the whole episode.

Dog was in Colorado (possibly why I decided to watch; I have a long-standing love affair with the Rocky Mountain State, dating back to John Denver, but I digress…). As I watched, I was a lot more interested in the “how” of The Dog’s operation than the two fugitives they were chasing down. Read more »