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Bail bondsmen (and women) bust bonding myths
10/12/2006
by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Have you ever watched an episode of “Dog: The Bounty Hunter,” and thought to yourself, ‘I can do that’? Many people do.
But unlike characters such as Duane “Dog” Chapman from the A&E reality series, the real lives of bail bonds issuers involve more careful calculations and reading between the lines than most think. David Valentine agrees.
Valentine is a bail bonds issuer who has been in the business for more than 20 years. He has an office Downtown on Washington Street and one in the St. Nicholas area on Atlantic Boulevard. Valentine says Chapman’s portrayal is seen by most bondsman as mere “entertainment.”
The popular TV character depicts a person who claims to be a bondsman/bounty hunter going out and doing “pick-ups,” said Valentine, “but most of our lives are nowhere near as exciting or as flamboyant as what they’re depicting on a weekly basis.”
Valentine said bond issuers may be able to relate to some small anecdotal pieces of what Chapman and his family are doing. Overall, though, that’s not the way things work.
“You certainly couldn’t make any money if you were constantly out looking for people,” he said.
While it might seem like an easy way to make a living, the risks are enormously high and the practice is very specialized. A bond issuer must be intuitive and compassionate, yet firm.
In the state of Florida, a misdemeanor felony charge usually means the individual can post a bond and be released from jail, pending their court date. The individual who posts the bond will be responsible for the full amount of the defendant’s bail if they fail to appear in court.
“We base whether or not we’re going to underwrite the bond on that individual,” said Valentine. “Stability is one of the keys, but we also look for several other red flags that can help us avoid writing a bad bond.”
Most of the time, family members are used to verify the stability of an individual and guarantee the bond.
As a bail bonds issuer, the responsibility to find the charged individual and ensure the court that they will appear is a tremendous one, according to Valentine. If a defendant fails to show up, the court gives the bondsman 60 days to apprehend him or her.
Another myth Valentine said is perpetuated through television depictions is the existence of bounty hunters.
“In Florida, there is no such thing as a bounty hunter,” said Valentine. “Under Florida law, you must be a licensed bondsman to go out and apprehend a defendant on bond. You’re required to be a bondsman for a specific company.”
Valentine said the first thing that he does is try to make contact with the family member who is guaranteeing the bond. They are usually able to reach the defendant and bring him or her back to Valentine.
If they don’t want to cooperate, measures are taken to apprehend the defendant, such as going out to the places he or she might frequent. In those situations, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is usually notified that bondsmen will be in the area. If the defendant needs to be placed into the bondsman’s custody, JSO can provide official assistance.
“But quite often it (the failed appearance) is inadvertent. And even if it is intentional, we can usually talk the person into doing what they need to do,” said Valentine, adding that the dramatic knock down-drag out captures people see on TV are exaggerated.
Everyone has their own way of apprehending a defendant.
Ann Teague and her daughter, Joann Mahle, of Ann Teague Bail Bonds on Forsyth Street use a unique “woman’s approach.”
“People think it’s my big husband that goes after someone when they fail to appear,” said Ann, “but they’re wrong. We do it.”
The two have been working together at Ann Teague Bonding Agency for nearly 17 years, along with Ann’s husband, Richard “Tiny” Teague. Ann said her non-threatening demeanor is what helps her wrangle the defendants who decide not to show up in court.
“People see someone like him (Tiny) coming towards them, they’re gonna want to fight,” she said.
Teague, like Valentine, said although the business is a tricky one, many of the Dog-like situations can be avoided by using caution.
“It’s all about listening to people, knowing what to ask and finding problems ahead of time,” said Teague, adding that she won’t underwrite a bond for just anyone.
“In fact, I think that’s part of my responsibility – to not only help somebody get someone out of jail, but to protect you on things that I see that could be a problem.
“I could be wrong, but I’ve been doing this for a long time and I can see things that you may not be able to see,” she said.
Another fallacy Teague and Valentine agree the public believes about bail bonds issuers is they are only dealing with hardened criminals like drug dealers and murderers. Most bonds the two underwrite are usually for individuals that have unpaid parking or speeding tickets or have broken laws they were unaware existed.
“I’ve seen people arrested for smoking in the auditorium, walking dogs in prohibited areas like on the beach and things like that,” said Teague.
“People make mistakes and that’s what we’re here for.”
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Steve Faircloth
A Way Out Bail Bonds
(220) 204-9733 Cell
NSIN# SF0105
LIC. #704058
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