Lawyer + Guns + Drugs + Strippers = job loss

I am referring to this...



I was told I had permission to tell this story. *takes a breath*

Okay...

Here goes...

_________________
Ron Hartley
(Retired)

_________________________________________________________
To avoid confusion and misunderstanding:
I am fairly new in the bail bonds part of the legal system. I've been in the legal profession 25 years - Paralegal and Legal investigator.

I am not a BEA - just a Bondsman trying to improve and become a better bondsman.
_________________________________________________________

10 years / one decade / 10% of a century and 25% of an adult life = the time I worked for the lawyer I shall simply refer to as Perry Mason.

This occurred in a city within the borders of a state within the borders of the United States.

When I met Perry I wasn't sure I should take the job. In fact I only interviewed with him because I thought he was someone else - someone that I had a bit of a score to settle with. Turns out he wasn't the same guy.

Perry worked in several area's of law - criminal / personal injury / credit / traffic offenses / drugs.

In addition he had several businesses that he owned, apartment complexes, bars, sock companies and eventually a 13 store retail chain with an online store.

He had it all together, nice cars, nicer house, attractive wife, two great kids, rich Dad who spent time at the office and became an office dad for many of the younger employees.

Our office was profitable, we were making money hand over fist and life was good.

Then something happened - mid life crisis? Nervous breakdown? We really don't know.

The first thing: he brings in "Lola" (not her name) or "Gypsy Rose Lee" depending on your point of view. She was supposed to be an expert at a particular type of collections and frankly she wasn't. It didn't take long before we found out what her specialty was.

She (new employee) was given her own office - with a lock no less and Perry would have meetings in that office that would last for many hours, behind a locked and closed door. After a few of these locked door sessions, she was appointed my assistant manager. Much to the chagrin of my staff.

She was gone within a few months and her true purpose came out.

To put it mildly and to keep this family friendly.. she was the girl friend of both Perry and his wife. Some times at the same time.

From that point on until the office closed, the wife created many a scene trying to track down Perry's check book and bank statement. She would show up drunk, angry and violent. Tossing things around the office, screaming at employees and threatening to fire them.

Perry would hide and beg me to deal with her.

_________________
Ron Hartley
(Retired)

_________________________________________________________
To avoid confusion and misunderstanding:
I am fairly new in the bail bonds part of the legal system. I've been in the legal profession 25 years - Paralegal and Legal investigator.

I am not a BEA - just a Bondsman trying to improve and become a better bondsman.
_________________________________________________________

It wasn't long before Perry became very evasive, paranoid and obviously on drugs. He kept a loaded .44 mag in his desk and demanded that I be armed at all times in the office. Some of the more liberal members of our office freaked out, so I compromised and carried pepper spray with me.

I kept getting late night alarm calls to meet the police at the building and got to know some of the 3rd shift cops. Someone had been in the office and left the door unlocked.

Walking through with the police I found women's clothing spread around the office (Bra's, Panties and other assorted items) but no one there. We secure the building, reset the alarm and leave.

One day - we found some people huddled in our storage area and Perry said that they were clients of his that he was hiding from the mob; allegedly they were turning states evidence and the US Marshal's were allowing them to hide in our basement. (odd story)

It wasn't long before there were more people living in the building, several huddled in the basement and at least 2 or 3 women living in his private office. We'd walk into the office in the morning and find underwear all over the floor from one end to the other. Office morale was low and my office was full of angry hard working people ticked off.

We had to meet clients outside the office out of embarassment.

_________________
Ron Hartley
(Retired)

_________________________________________________________
To avoid confusion and misunderstanding:
I am fairly new in the bail bonds part of the legal system. I've been in the legal profession 25 years - Paralegal and Legal investigator.

I am not a BEA - just a Bondsman trying to improve and become a better bondsman.
_________________________________________________________

Our office staff was constantly interrupted by these people who wanted to use the computer to check their emails and I caught them trying to hack into our computer system. (We maintained one internet computer plus my laptop). They tried to hook up a wireless router, but while they were sleeping it off I took it apart at hid it in various parts of the building.

One gal was practicing witch and the others were practicing hookers and strippers! One night when the alarm went off, the police and I found a previous storage closet was done up in all pink and obviously now a working girls office. The police asked whose office that was, I said it was Perry's.

One night Perry got into a spot of trouble and the police chased him to our office where he barricaded himself in. Police from a couple of jurisdictions surrounded the joint and they called me (the key holder). I spent a wonderful Christmas eve negotiating his surrender. He was bloody and bruised. I had to give him first aid, calm down the fugitives in the basement and deal with cops who were freezing in -30 weather.

He surrendered and I contacted the bail bond company to spring him.

*sigh*

His wife filed for divorce and his dad came to the office one day with a very big guy (process server) and tried to kick in his door. I had to evacuate my office staff and then get between dad, Perry & Brutus.

I told Brutus to leave or go to jail.

The dad meanwhile was trying to kick down Perry's office door and yelling profanities. I convinced dad to leave or go to jail. He left.

Over the next few weeks I had to throw his mom, sister and wife out of the office because of the scenes they were causing; while he hid in his office.

SO I quit.

_________________
Ron Hartley
(Retired)

_________________________________________________________
To avoid confusion and misunderstanding:
I am fairly new in the bail bonds part of the legal system. I've been in the legal profession 25 years - Paralegal and Legal investigator.

I am not a BEA - just a Bondsman trying to improve and become a better bondsman.
_________________________________________________________

Well that is a very good story . . . .

_________________


Do not consider anything for your interest which makes you break your word, quit your modesty, or inclines you to any practice which will not bear the light, or look the world in the face .... Marcus Antonius

I AM Some Folks "KARMA" and A MODERATOR @ FRN

Over the next 12 months, Perry was arrested driving on meth, meth possession and having a loaded machine gun (while on meth), he lost all 13 stores (he was embezzling money from his own business) and was arrested several more times.

He once was found (by a very scared real estate agent) hiding in his foreclosed warehouse in the nude, wearing an eye patch and getting a massage from a hooker.

He jumped bail 4 or 5 times and had some pretty nasty BEA's trying to track him down - he'd turn himself in, post bail and FTA. Finally he was kept in jail.

He no longer practices law and lost everything.

_________________
Ron Hartley
(Retired)

_________________________________________________________
To avoid confusion and misunderstanding:
I am fairly new in the bail bonds part of the legal system. I've been in the legal profession 25 years - Paralegal and Legal investigator.

I am not a BEA - just a Bondsman trying to improve and become a better bondsman.
_________________________________________________________

And it was the best paying job of my career.

Sad to say once upon a time he was one of the best employers you could ever ask for.

Toward the end; he would miss court dates and left me as Paralegal to tap dance with judges and court clerks to get cases rescheduled - then pacify screaming clients.

_________________
Ron Hartley
(Retired)

_________________________________________________________
To avoid confusion and misunderstanding:
I am fairly new in the bail bonds part of the legal system. I've been in the legal profession 25 years - Paralegal and Legal investigator.

I am not a BEA - just a Bondsman trying to improve and become a better bondsman.
_________________________________________________________

I must say, that beats any story that I could ever come up with... you are immediately inducted into the "stories that will 'tickle your fancy'"... I can't even think up a come back.

TV show or movie in the works I think.

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

A few coworkers and I bounced the idea around, in fact one actually wrote 5 or 6 chapters - then decided to give up. She said it was so therapeutic that just writing it helped her through some tough spots.

Perry got into some big time trouble. I once found the Fed's sitting in my parking spot on a Saturday; I told him to move and he pulled out, blocked me in and tried to grill me. I was evasive and told him that unless he had a warrant to please leave the place. To this day I suspect they had wire taped our office; I let my staff know and they made sure their personal business was handled via cell phone after that.

The witch tried casting spells and the stripper would wander around the office in bra and panties. They'd leave their food boxes and booze bottles on the floor and we had to clean up after them. Morale crashed big time.

_________________
Ron Hartley
(Retired)

_________________________________________________________
To avoid confusion and misunderstanding:
I am fairly new in the bail bonds part of the legal system. I've been in the legal profession 25 years - Paralegal and Legal investigator.

I am not a BEA - just a Bondsman trying to improve and become a better bondsman.
_________________________________________________________

Well.....I sure as hell can't compete with the story as a whole but...

How about the Rancho Cucamonga, Ca BEA that was arrested on charges of carrying a firearm as a convicted felon? The same guy who, while currently out on bail himself, is working as an instructor on firearms and tactics at a BEA "school"...

Or...how about another BEA who, with his cracked out ex-wife, was basically squatting (albeit with permission) in the abondoned building owned by one of his bail bond clients...only to be awakened in the middle of the night, by police, to be kicked out and told the bondsman doesn't even own the building!

Sorry, no strippers....YET.

_________________
Tom Duprey
Founding member, NABBI (Nat'l Assoc. of Bail Bond Inv.)
Ca. Bail Agent Lic#1845795
Owner/Operator, Thomas Duprey Bail Bonds
Owner/Operator, Orange County Bounty
(714) 727-4689