The Los Angeles Police Department is advising that those who are attending parties to plan a safe way hope prior to arriving and/or to designate a sober driver to get them home at the end of the night. It’s also recommended those who have had a few too many drinks call a taxi, friend, roommate, or family member or to take public transportation to get home.  It’s further suggested that if you see someone who is visibly impaired who is about to get behind the wheel, to take their keys and assist in getting them home safely.

In our experience, most people who are arrested for first time DUI are released without bail about 8-12 hours after arrest, depending on their blood alcohol level. Repeat offenders, drivers involved in accidents or others with mitigating circumstances will require bail bonds to obtain release from jail. Additionally, certain jurisdications such as Burbank and all of San Diego County require bail for every DUI arrest.

Patch reports that a sobriety checkpoint will be conducted between 8 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday at Ventura Boulevard and Big Oak Drive in Studio City. A second checkpoint will be conducted between 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday at Sunset Boulevard and Bronson Avenue in Hollywood.

Let me back up: When people hear that I’m a bail bondsman, they always seem to think, “you must have a lot of good stories.” Truth be told, we don’t. Mostly, we bail out regular people. Day in and day out, bail is like most other jobs – except, of course, that you do it 24 x 7 x 365.

Days like yesterday, where we get an interesting case, are pretty rare. Got a call this for a bail bond out of Los Colinas Jail, San Diego’s womens jail on an out of state warrant on a woman – pretty regular so far.

Now, for the rest of the story… Husband put together a birthday cruise for wife and their two small children – nice. They get to the ship (where, of course, the couple’s passport’s are scanned upon entry). They settle in, have a nice meal while waiting for the ship to set sail. Next thing you know, there’s a knock at the door. The Border Patrol is standing there asking questions, puts the wife in handcuffs and she’s headed to jail. Bummer of a vacation buster!

Unfortunately for the family, they thought an attorney had taken care of the wife’s situation. After a call to us to arrange bail, the man and the two children returned home. We bailed the wife out and she was able to make a flight home late in the day.

Moral of the story: security checks while traveling net more than terrorists. So, if you have an outstanding warrant, be prepared to head back home. Even better, arrange with a bondsman to get it taken care of before you set sail.

King Stahlman Bail Bonds’ George “King” Stahlman passed away peacefully at his home on February 13.

A bondsman for over 60 years, Stahlman was something of a celebrity around San Diego. To me, Stahlman defined San Diego bail bonds. He may have been the first bail bondsman I ever really heard of. I lived in San Diego through college (and came from a small town in New Hampshire) and remember that nearly every guy I knew in San Diego had some type of King Stahlman Bail Bonds tee-shirt. I had the impression that he sponsored every type of sporting team around. His business motto, “It’s better to know me and not need me than to need me and not know me” was brilliant. 

Stahlman’s son-in-law, Michael Hardwick, issued the following statement on Friday:

San Diego has lost a great legend and one of its most colorful characters today. George “King” Stahlman died peacefully at his home this morning surrounded by family. With some irony, he passed away on a Friday the 13th, the same day his ship was sunk during World War II.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Stahlman, but I respected him greatly. His personal moto of “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise” is a great way to run any business and he clearly lived it. Stahlman was known a philanthropist in San Diego as well as potentially the best known bondsman in the county. In a piece on Stahlman in 2004, the San Diego Union Tribune noted that he held San Diego County’s oldest bail license.

Photo credit: © Jose Gil- Fotolia.com