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RELATED: Bail bonds firm makes criminals pay for their crimes
By ROBERT LOPEZ, The Enterprise
Updated 09/02/2006 11:07:04 PM CDT
Patsy Mason, manager of Allied Bail Bonds in Beaumont, likens her business to a lend
People who need to get their loved ones out of jail might seek her out to help post a $25,000 bond. If the accused shows up for court, then they aren't liable for the full amount. But if the accused disappears, then she has to call in private investigator Steve Hedrick - because if the accused never resurfaces, she gets hit with the bill.
"If they don't show, the judge forfeits the bond, and it's called a bond forfeiture," she said, explaining the fee she'd be liable to pay.
"There's a warrant issued for that individual and that's where Steve steps in. Automatically, if there's a felony forfeiture, we have to pay $210 (in court costs) for any type of felony bond. Now if we can't find them in a certain amount of time, we have to pay the full amount."
But it's rare for Mason not to find the fugitive. She charges a 10 to 15 percent fee of the total bond,depending on the offense, and that's how she makes her money.
Several types of bonds are available to those in jail. Most bonds are written for men for check bouncing and drug offenses, said Mason. A cash bond can be obtained by those who simply pay the sheriff's department in cash. Personal recognizance bonds typically are reserved for indigent defendants and are offered at a lower rate than other types of bonds.
Bail bond companies deal in what's known as a surety bond. Defendants pay 10 to 15 percent of the full amount of the bond to businesses like the one Mason works for. The companies keep this money no matter what, and write a bond for the full amount.
The bonds range in price from roughly $1,000 up to millions. The highest bond Mason has covered is $250,000.
For example, if someone needs to post a $10,000 bond to get out of jail, that person might pay $1,000 to the bail bond company, which then posts the full amount.
Mason said the bail bond agents don't physically take the money to the sheriff's department but rather have the money registered with the county. If the defendant
doesn't show up for court, then the company usually has about six months to find the person before having to forfeit the entire bond.
"We get a co-signer for each bond," Mason said. "Once we have a forfeiture, we want to make sure we can get somebody to pay that money back. If I can give you the percentage that we actually collect (from co-signers), it's not very high.
"The famous statement I always hear is, 'You never told me I was going to have to pay for that if they didn't show up for court.' I hear that all the time. Or 'I don't have any money.' But the paper they sign states that they're responsible."
Of the few times fugitives aren't found, it's hard to get co-signers to cough up the dough, Mason admitted.
Hedrick has chased suspects as far as Canada. One of the more common offenses he deals with is theft by check, which he also calls one of the dumbest offenses.
"I've had people bounce checks for $5," he said. "But you're going to pay $150 just to get out of jail."
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Steve Faircloth
A Way Out Bail Bonds
(220) 204-9733 Cell
NSIN# SF0105
LIC. #704058
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