http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/03/news_ ... in_s.shtml
Bondsman charged in shooting
By ALISA ULFERTS
Published March 3, 2007
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ST. PETERSBURG - A St. Petersburg bail bondsman wound up behind bars Thursday after police say he shot at a car driven by a man he claimed skipped out on a bond.
While driving on 21st Street and 43rd Terrace N, Norman Luther Britten Jr. spotted a man who had previously jumped bail on a traffic offense, according to police. So Britten pulled out a gun and shot at the car, intending to stop the scofflaw. Britten struck the car's left rear tire, but the man got away.
Police said children were playing nearby. They arrested Britten and charged him with discharging a firearm in public, a felony. Britten, 33, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail Thursday night but was released a few hours later.
Britten, who owns Norman Britten Bail Bonds at 3110 First Avenue N, Suite 2B, in St. Petersburg could not be reached Friday.
Because he is charged with a felony, Britten faces an automatic suspension of his concealed weapons permit, according to the state. If he is convicted, his permit will be revoked.
Ann Teague, 59, president of Bail Agents Independent League of Florida, or BAIL Florida, said she's never found it necessary to carry a gun on the job in the 25 years she's been in the business.
"I would never pull a gun on anyone," Teague said. "If I felt there was a problem, I'd call the police to have them meet me at the house."
