Keep Bailing

With the official kick off of the holiday shopping season just a day away, members of the Los Angeles Police Department are urging shoppers to exercise care so as to avoid becoming victims of theft.

Simple things, they say, such as remembering to lock vehicle doors and storing packages in the trunk can go a long way.  Persons who leave packages and gifts in plain sight have a higher likelihood of having their cars broken into and their items stolen.

The message being relayed is relatively simple:
• Lock It: Lock your vehicle every time you leave it unattended and always lock your valuables in the trunk.
• Hide It: If you don’t have a trunk, hide valuables under the seats, in the glove box, or other compartments within the   vehicle.
• Keep It: Personal responsibility is the best prevention to safeguard personal property and to prevent becoming a victim

CBS Los Angeles has reported that owners of American-made sport utility vehicles should Read more »

The LAPD Van Nuys Division is welcoming a new Captain. Captain Paul Snell has been a part of the Los Angeles Police Department for 27 years.

Described as a “tough cop and a class act” by some of his colleagues, Capt. Snell has served in various departments within the LAPD, including traffic and vice, as well as working patrol for the Newton Community as a lieutenant. He worked as assistant to former Chief William Bratton for three and a half years and has also worked for the Inspector General. His last assignment was with the Criminal Gang Homicide Division.

Capt. Snell is a family man, being a father of four and grandfather to seven children. A graduate of Occidental College, Snell attended the same school as President Obama. Throughout his time as an officer of the LAPD, Snell has encountered many other notable people as well, such as Sir Elton John, John Read more »

A Van Nuys bail bonds agent, Stephanie Diane Johnson, has been charged with a felony of grand theft for embezzlement.

On February 3^rd, Johnson was taken into arrested by the California Department of Insurance and taken to the Lynwood Jail, Los Angeles County’s women’s jail.  If convicted, is facing a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Apparently, Ms. Johnson was allowed to post bail and was released. Johnson’s arraignment is scheduled for March 4th at the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.

State Insurance Commissioner, Dave Jones said, “A bail bond agent who steals Read more »

This week, officials hurriedly tried to reassemble six anti-gang units, since all of LAPD’s specialized officers declined to sign a compliance that included a financial disclosure rule. According to Chief Officer, Charlie Beck, the Los Angeles Police Department is confident that they would be able to reassemble all six units prior to the crime surge that comes in the summer.

Originally, those who criticized the disclosure rule feared that existing and new officers wouldn’t join in. However, Beck has stated that the department hasn’t experienced any major setbacks and that 21 gang units are stable. The criticisms include Read more »

How many celebrity DUIs does it take to make an American pie? Well Chris Klein, best known for his “apple cheeked” role in American Pie, is the latest report of celebs arrested for driving under the influence. I know it’s not just the celebrities, but the repeated incidents of famous people drinking and driving seems to be a sad commentary on the publics attitude about this very dangerous activity.

Klein was arrested on June 16th just after 3:15 AM on an alleged DUI.  He was driving on the 101 Freeway with his dog. He was later bailed out of the Van Nuys Jail. It’s reported his blood alcohol level was just about 3 times legal limit in California, which is .08 percent. 

If found guilty this time, Chris could be facing a minimum of four days behind bars. He was also arrested in 2004, where he was charged with two counts of DUI. He pleaded guilty and was fined $1,800 and performed community service.

With new laws that take effect this year in July, a multiple DUI offender may Read more »

The grandson of the late President Ronald Reagan, Cameron Michael Reagan, 31 was arrested on Thursday morning  for misdemeanor resisting arrest and obstructing an officer.

According to a family member, he accidently tripped off a silent alarm in his own home which sent the Los Angeles Police Department to his location.

When the LAPD arrived on the scene, Cameron asked who they were. When they responded “who are you?” Cameron reached for his I.D.  That’s when officers reportedly tackled and arrested him believing he may be going for a gun.

In an interview with CNN Read more »

What’s up with reality peeps from hit MTV show, “The Hills”? They seem to be taking turns spending time in the clink. This time, Stephanie Pratt, star of  the  MTV show was arrested early Sunday Morning on a DUI and was reportedly taken to the Van Nuys Jail. 

Stephanie attended  Holly Montag’s 26th birthday party at one of Hollywood’s trendy night clubs. Allegedly, she was driving home at 3:45 am when she was apprehended.

For those of you who keep up with our celebrity arrest blogs, you’ll recall  that Jason Wahler, another star from “The Hills” was arrested earlier this month in Yakima County for assault and drinking charges.

“What’s Wrong With Bail in Los Angeles?” I’m thinking about making this a category here at KeepBailing. Bail is a great Constitutional Right. The system is really quite good and costs nothing to John Q. Public. Release on Own Recognizance is another story…

Recently, I had a call from a woman who’s brother was arrested and was at the Van Nuys Jail. He had been in an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. His bail was $30,000 and their mother agreed to bail him out. As our bail agent arrived at Van Nuys (and was illegally approached by street solicitors looking to cut him a 5% deal on a bond – also illegal, but that’s another post), he went into the jail with bond in hand and the jailer told him, “Sorry, the guy just had an O.R. approved.”

My guy tells the jailer, “Well, I have a bond, wouldn’t that be better for everyone?”

“Sorry, gotta O.R. him,” the agent was told. (Note that I recognize that the officer was doing what he’s told to do.)

You might be thinking, that’s great for the defendant and his family; they don’t have to pay. Well, not so fast. What are the facts about O.R. versus bail when it comes to appearance in court? Read more »

We All Need Help Sometimes

As a bail bondsman, my job is to help people get out of jail. It’s not my job to give advice. Sometimes, that’s hard to do. Today was a good example, the phone rang around 6:00 am, I looked at the caller i.d. before answering, as is my habit. “Global Tel Link“ - tells me it’s a call from a Los Angeles County Jail. “Bail Bonds, may I help you?” I answer.

The caller is a male who tells me that he is in the Van Nuys Jail. He immediately tells me that his bail $10,000, he had $3000 in cash when he was arrested and would like to pay for the $1000 bond fee himself with that money. Before I even ask the usual bail questions, my warning signals are twitching. He seems to know the bail bond process, he sounds young and he has a large sum of cash. Read more »