Most people who are familiar with the term “bail” know that a bail bondsman is one who posts a bail bond or surety bond in exchange for the temporary release of someone arrested for an alleged criminal offense. The bail or surety bond serves as a guarantee to the court that the defendant won’t flee and is committed to attend their court dates.
This is the most well known fact about bail bondsman, but there’s another facet you need to know about them. Bail bond agents are authorized by law to arrest or capture defendants who skip bail. When you call bail bonds agents to help you obtain temporary freedom, you must commit to be present on all court dates set for your case.
The Power of a Bail Bondsman
Here’s a simple explanation of the whole scenario:
If for whatever reason a defendant doesn’t fulfill his/her promise to appear in court for their trial, the bondsman is authorized by law to bring the fugitive to the courthouse. Aside from being authorized to bring a bail jumper to the authorities, bail bondsmen are also authorized to pursue the bail jumper into any dwelling to make the arrest.
Here’s another thing you need to know. Bail bondsmen are not government agents. Hence, they are not required to obtain a warrant to make an arrest. Moreover, they are also allowed to detain the defendant if necessary, or cross state lines to be able to bring him/her to court. Before conducting an arrest, a bail bondsman must first produce documents to prove that he is authorized to recover and if necessary, detain defendants who need to be turned in to the proper authorities.
Another authority given to bail bondsmen is to hire licensed bounty hunters to track down bail-jumping defendants and bring them back to court. Like bail bondsmen, bounty hunters are not police officers. As such, they are not required to abide by the same rules as policemen when making an arrest.
Important Bail Bond Conditions You Must Consider
If you intend to post bail for yourself, you should know that when you agree to the terms of a bail bond contract, you also agree to allow the bail bondsman or a bounty hunter to come after you:
- In the event you jump bail
- If you violate certain bail conditions that compels the court to forfeit your bail.
If you call a bail bonds agent to post bail for someone else, the same conditions apply. But you have to pay for the hunter’s fees which is between 10% and 20% of the total bail amount plus the bail hunter’s travel and other authorized expenses.
Freedom is a priceless thing. It is the very reason why you should post bail when you or someone you love gets arrested. As a token of appreciation, you must treat your bail and bail bond conditions with utmost respect. Don’t ever undervalue the help a competent hotline bail bonds agent give you.
Call Lucero’s Bail Bonds anytime at (303) 573-5555 for your bail needs and concerns.
