“All the bonds that were done by him were done illegally, so they potentially could have to turn themselves in and rebond through a licensed bonding company,” said Jimmie Lay, co-owner of First Choice Bail Bonds in Jefferson County.

Could it have very possibly been a simple oversite on the part of the Bondsman ?

how is it that he had current powers to write on???

The bail bonding agent who attempted to post bond for accused rapist Andre Ellis could now be facing trouble of his own.

Robbyn Brooks JULY 16, 2012 AT 10:06 AM LINK
Hey all,
Just a couple of clarifications and additions that may help explain a few things.

How did the sheriff find out about the license?
From what I understand, the investigation wasn’t as to if the bondsman was licensed or not, but an inquiry was made to the Alabama Department of Insurance to see how much the bondsmand was insured when it came to issuing bonds because the Ellis bonds would put the company at more than $1.2 million in Pike County alone. At that point, again from what I understand, it came to light that the license had expired.

Who is responsible for checking the license?
Each year, at the beginning of the year I believe it is, all companies must prove license with the clerk of courts office. Alternative Justice’s agent did that. All documentation was provided and up to date. The problem arose after that when Collins’ surety agent’s license expired with the Alabama Department of Insurance on March 2. The surety license is renewed according to date of birth and is good for two years. The clerk of court’s office is not notified when surety licenses expire. Notice is sent to the bonding company, only, from what I was told.

I had been asked those questions by a couple of readers and wanted to respond here, too, so that the information was available to everyone.

Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help with. I can’t speculate on anything, of course, but am happy to provide information I’ve received in the course of interviewing and researching stories.