Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Padilla Questions Decision to Post Casey Anthony's Bond

Bounty hunter Leonard Padilla now questions his decision to bail Casey Anthony out of jail.

On Tuesday night, he told CNN's Nancy Grace he doesn't think he would have posted the $500,000 bond for her freedom if he had read newly-released documents beforehand.

He told Grace, "After reading it, I don't believe I would have talked my nephew Tony Padilla into posting the bond. And I don't think I would have come to Orlando after reading that. I
mean, I'm still hoping that little girl's alive, but there's a lot of information in those 400 pages that would lead those people to believe something different."

The documents paint an unflattering picture of the Orlando mother. Some of the most negative opinions of Anthony come from her own family and friends. Anthony's mother Cindy called her daughter a "sociopath".

In a written statement to police, Anthony's father said she was very vague when he asked about his granddaughter, Caylee, saying:

"Each time we have asked to see her... my daughter would always have a different answer."



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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Bondsman Thwarts Plot to Blow Up County Building

A Northern California man is in jail tonight, suspected of planning to blow up a county building in Yreka.

46-year-old Michael Solano of Sacramento is under arrest.

Police say he was found with a large amount of weapons, ammunition and homemade bombs.

Police believe Solano may have intended to blow up the Siskiyou County Probation building. He had been arrested before, for having an explosive device in his car at the probation building in July. He missed his court date in Yreka on Tuesday.

When police stopped Solano in a Yreka neighborhood, they were shocked by what they found.

Brett Duncan was there, and he still can't believe what happened in the quiet neighborhood Tuesday evening.

"My gut instinct whatever was happening just wasn't right," Duncan said.

As he was leaving work, Duncan noticed a suspicious car parked in front of the Siskiyou County Probation Department. He is a bail bondsman and recognized the driver, Michael Solano, a Sacramento man he had posted bail for.

Duncan called police and when officers stopped Solano's car, they say Solano reached for his gun. The officers struggled to get the gun out of Solano's hand - that's when Duncan sprung into action.

"I ran over to area grabbed Mr. Solano's arm and held it down pointing toward the ground," he said.

Police say they handcuffed Solano, and he kept screaming for officers to kill him.

They found a pipe bomb attached to his leg. Inside his car, they found all this.

70 loaded magazines, 4,000 rounds of ammunition, assault rifles with silencers along with day and night surveillance equipment.

"This guy was going to reign war on Yreka, without citizens that assisted in this situation, I feel incident wouldn't have gone as well and somebody would have gotten seriously injured or killed," said Chief Brian Bowles, of the Yreka Police Department.

"Reflecting back on it I guess it would frighten anyone who realized you were sitting so close to a carload of bombs," said Duncan.

When police discovered Solano had a pipe bomb at tached to his leg, they surrounding area was immediately evacuated. Residents say they were kept out of their homes for several hours.

Gary Giles watched the incident from his porch.

"It was pretty scary when they told us we had to leave the area, they started going door to door," Giles said.

Duncan says he was just in the right place at the right time.

"I don't know how would have occurred what would have I'm glad I didn't have to find out," Giles said.

After Solano was taken into custody, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office' bomb squad was brought in.

17 improvised explosive devices were taken to the Siskiyou County Airport area to be destroyed.

Solano faces charges of possession and transportation of destruction device, assault with a fire arm on police officer and attempting to take an officers firearm.

Chief Bowles says the case is still under investigation, they say they are still examining some other material inside the vehicle to try to figure out why he was there. Solano is being held on $2 million bail at the Siskiyou County Jail.



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Bail Bondsmen to Be Pleads Not Guilty in Obama Threat Case

A man who prosecutors said threatened to assassinate presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama pleaded not guilty Wednesday before a federal magistrate, officials said.

Raymond Hunter Geisel told classmates at a training seminar that he would kill Obama if Obama were elected president, according to a law enforcement official.

An affidavit filed by a Secret Service agent in U.S. District Court claims that Geisel, of Marathon, Florida, threatened to "kill, kidnap and cause bodily harm upon a major candidate for president of the United States, that is, Senator Barack Obama."

The threats came in early August, just days before Obama was scheduled to visit Florida, and were made by "a person discovered to have ammunition, a handgun and other weapons," authorities said.

Geisel is being held without bail.

A search of Geisel's vehicle and a hotel room in Miami, where Geisel was attending a bail bondsman training class, found a 9 mm handgun, ammunition that included armor-piercing and rifle bullets, police-style emergency lights, body armor, a machete and two canisters of tear gas, among other military-style items, according to the document.

Agents say that classmates of Geisel reported that, between July 25-28, Geisel used a racial slur toward Obama and said "if he gets elected, I'll assassinate him myself."

A classmate said that, one day after class, she also heard Geisel say "that he hated George W. Bush and that he wanted to put a bullet in the president's head."

Obama made several campaign stops in Florida the day before federal agents arrested Geisel at a Holiday Inn Express in Miami.

During an interview with the Secret Service, Geisel said he couldn't remember whether he threatened Obama and the president but told agents that "if he wanted to kill Senator Obama he would simply shoot him with a sniper rifle."

He later said that comment was a joke, the agent said in the document.

Geisel also said he has post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects his memory, and had once checked himself into a psychiatric institution for treatment.

The affidavit, signed by Special Agent Charles R. Adie, said Geisel "generally provided no excuse" for why he had the weapons and other items -- claiming that he collects some of them, that the handgun was for target practice during the bail bondsman course and that he uses the machete and a hatchet for cutting through brush in Maine, where he lived most of his life before moving to Florida in January.


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Recession Affecting Bail Business, Florida Bondsman Claims

If you're arrested, a bail bondsman can be your best friend or worst enemy.

And the weak economy is taking its toll on their business in Southwest Florida.

Grand and petty theft cases have become more common over the past year as the ranks of the unemployed steadily rise, according to Laurel Butler, owner of AA Alligator Bail Bonds, which has offices in Fort Myers and Naples. But more people are also struggling to come up with the 10 percent fee or are unable to, she added.

Revenues at AA Alligator are off by 10 percent to 15 percent in 2008, as compared to the first seven months of 2007.

Butler takes time to get to know her clients and their families, even referring them to social service agencies if they have a need.

"Writing bond is a calculated risk," she said. "If I don't like a bond, I don't write it. My criteria may be different than somebody else's criteria or I might write a bond where somebody else might not give that person a chance."

Bondsmen hold the "get-out-of-jail" card, but unlike the game of Monopoly, it's not free. And once they secure your release, your level of freedom may be just a little greater than it was when you were behind bars.

Do what the bail bondsman asks and show up for all your court dates, however, and you'll be fine. Slip up, and you could be headed back to the slammer.

When a person is arrested, the court can require they post bail to assure that, if released, they will appear for court dates. Amounts can range from a few hundred dollars to $1 million or more, depending on the severity of the offense.

There are two options for posting bail. You can pay the entire amount in cash at the jail or you can hire a bondsman who guarantees the money will be paid if you don't show up in court.

State law governs much of what bondsmen do. They must graduate from a bail bond school and pass state tests to get their licenses. Today, bail bondsmen must also successfully complete a one-year internship to become licensed. The Florida Department of Financial Services oversees the profession because it is considered to be a form of insurance, explained department spokesperson Nina Bannister.

In Florida, they all charge a nonrefundable fee of 10 percent of the bail amount - with a minimum fee of $100 - to get someone out of jail.

The severity of the charges, a person's ties to the community and whether they are employed are a few of the factors that help determine how much, if any, collateral may be required and how closely a client is monitored, according to area bail bondsmen.

Gauging the risk of flight, the likelihood of someone appearing for hearings and whether they are a repeat customer can also determine whether a bondsman will take someone on as a client.

That risk can be a stress inducer, said Onil Martinez, owner of Second Chance Bail Bonds, which has offices in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Collier County, Punta Gorda and Sarasota. "Sometimes you don't sleep at night," he added.

Some bail bondsmen may only see dollar signs when they receive a call for assistance.


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Caylee Anthony's Mother Out On Bail

The mother of an Orlando toddler missing for more than two months made her first venture out Friday a day after she was released from jail.

Casey Anthony, 22, left her parents' home Friday morning to meet with her lawyer, Jose Baez.

On Thursday, celebrity bail bondsman Tony Padilla posted her $500,000 bond so that she could be released from the Orange County Jail to aid the search for her missing toddler, Caylee.

Casey Anthony has been fitted with an ankle monitor and is staying at the home of her parents, Cindy and George Anthony. She remains a "person of interest" in Caylee's disappearance.

Anthony's release went according to schedule, a spokesman for the Orange County corrections department told FOX News. After getting her belongings and clothing back, she left the Orange County jail mid-morning Thursday amid a crush of reporters and was ushered into a waiting car by Baez.

"Back off, you guys! Let her through!" shouted Baez to the press. "You'll get your chance! Let her through!"

Anthony said nothing to the media. Baez said she whispered into his ear on her way out, "I'm innocent. I'm going to walk out of this place with my head held high."

The young mom described by friends and family as a habitual liar didn't report 3-year-old Caylee missing until about 30 days after she said she left her with a baby sitter who snatched her.

Police have said they doubt that story.

Anthony is charged with child neglect, making false statements and obstructing an investigation in her daughter's disappearance on or around June 16.

Baez and bounty hunter Leonard Padilla, uncle of Tony Padilla, were at the Orange County jail during Wednesday night's bond posting proceedings. A member of Leonard Padilla Bounty Hunters' staff is reportedly moving into the Anthony home.

Anthony, who has been jailed since mid-July, was instructed to go to her parents' home and plug her electronic monitoring device into her phone, Orange County Corrections spokesman Allen Moore said.

"Right now the family is in there hugging and enjoying time as a family together," Baez said outside the home. "There's a lot of tears, a lot of emotion."

Anthony was also arraigned Thursday, but did not attend the hearing. A written plea of not guilty was entered, according to court documents.

"The most important thing is that Casey is home and her parents are very grateful," family spokesman Larry Garrison said by phone Thursday. "Now we are asking the public to please help us find Caylee. Now more than ever, we are convinced that she was kidnapped."

The Padillas flew to Florida on Sunday to help Clearwater-based bondsman Albert Estes post the bond. They said they believe Anthony might be more likely to talk about her daughter's disappearance if released from jail.

Police are investigating numerous theories about what happened to Caylee, including the possibility that she died accidentally, was killed or was kidnapped by a baby sitter.


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Bail Bondsmen in North Carolina Face Unique Challenges

Bad boys. Bad boys. Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

"They'' in this case is the police. And if it so happens that they indeed "come for you'' then it's likely your next destination is the local lockup.

So what next? Well, there are only three ways to make bail: you can pay up in cold hard cash, use the equity in your home as collateral, or call a bail bondsman.

"A bail bondsman is the person who signs the bond and is actually liable for that amount if the person fails to appear,'' bondsman Doug Cozart said. "Bounty hunters are bail enforcement who are hired by the bail bondsman to go out and find that person to bring them back.''

However, in North Carolina bounty hunting is illegal and it falls on the bondsman to enforce bail, which means with the power vested by the Supreme Court case Taylor v. Taintor in 1872, they have the ability to break into and enter a home to get a "skip,'' as they call them.

"When we have people that have failed to appear, we've gone to great lengths to find these people,'' Cozart said. "I've gone all along the Eastern Sea board in pursuit of these people.''

And that isn't a paid vacation. It means they have to find these people where they are, often times putting themselves in danger. So much so that bondsman Deva Lea regularly carries several guns.

"The hardest part is the arrests and apprehensions because you are out of the office and it's no longer just paperwork,'' Cozart said. "You may have to get physical.''

It's a risk they accept when they get into the job.

Amy McCalister knew what she was getting into before getting her bonding license because her father was a bondsman while she was growing up. That didn't make it any better when a skip shot himself in the head and the bullet missed her by about six inches.

Situations like that are why the North Carolina Bail Agents Association holds annual classes on topics such as self defense, skip tracing and use of force.

"The waiting is the worst part,'' Lea said. "You've got to be patient and I still struggle with that.''

Lea said he just wants to find the skips and be done, but many times you have to wait them out and they'll show up eventually.

Cozart tells a story about a man who was reported dead in California, then almost put on "America's Most Wanted'' before he called Cozart from Greensboro. The man told Cozart that he'd been robbed, was flat broke and just turn himself in.

"We were more than willing to accommodate him,'' Cozart said with a smile.

If a person under bond does skip, the court gives the bondsman 150 days to find the person or they have to pay the cost of the bond to the court. Needless to say, the bondsman does everything in his power to bring the people in and avoid paying that bond.

Lea said that once, Cozart and Dexter Shoffner spent three weeks in South Carolina looking for a skip. Bondsman do what they can to avoid such trips because not only do they have to pay for travel expenses, they also lose other business because they can do bonds for new clients.

Cozart said that before he agrees to do a bond, he assesses the risks. He usually tries to get a relative of the person to sign an indemnity agreement, which holds the relative accountable for the bond if the person fails to appear.

"We try to impress upon the defendant that they must appear in court,'' Cozart said. "In some cases, they'll appear because they don't want to put their relatives at risk.''

Cozart said bondsmen save taxpayers millions of dollars compared to other pre-release prison programs. These other programs justify their work through formulas that compare the cost of housing inmates versus being out of jail.

"For instance if the cost per day is $40 and the defendant stays out of jail for 10 days prior to the case being disposed of, they say they save the state $400,'' Cozart said, adding that the savings don't include the cost of operating the program. "If I use that formula and I have about 200 out on bond per day then I save the state $8,000 per day and $2,900,000 per year.''

And his company is small. If 1,000 bondsmen have 200 out, then that is $2,900,000,000.

"That is quite a savings,'' he said. "The most important savings is that we don't cost the taxpayers a dime. The only ones who pay are the people in jail or their friends and relatives.''

Cozart also said that the other programs do not have the structure and discipline to ensure that the person goes to court.

"The other programs don't have the authority of enforcement. They get paid whether the person goes to court or not,'' he said. "We are obligated and that is our initiative to do a better job.''

Currently there are about 1,200 bondsmen in North Carolina charging as much as 15 percent for their services. But with so many to choose from, how does somebody in jail pick?

The Alamance County jail has a list of the bondsmen available, but Cozart said most of their business is referred by word-of-mouth.

McAlister said she has several "regulars,'' which works out well because they keep getting in trouble so she keeps getting paid.

However, because crime doesn't sleep, neither do they. There isn't a 9-to-5 schedule for most bondsmen, which means if they get a call during dinner, a movie or a meeting, they get up and go.

"The hours are the worst, but the best,'' McAlister said. "You don't have to punch a clock and you've got time to do what you want, but if you go to sleep at 3 a.m. and they call at 4, you do what you need to do with an hour of sleep.''

But with so many bondsman there is usually somebody available.

"We get calls all time of the night, but we do not have to go,'' Cozart said. "I have a good working relationship with other bail bondsmen so if I'm not available, I do refer them so they don't have to wait on me.'' Lea said he tries to be at the jail within 20 minutes of a call, even if it is Christmas morning.

Each of the bondsmen said one of the best parts is when they hear about success stories.

"These people are not always the bottom of the barrel,'' Cozart said. "I've met some very, very nice people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In situations like that, it is a good feeling that you can help somebody out of a bad situation.''


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Monday, August 25, 2008

New Law in New Jersey for Bounty Hunters

New Jersey is starting to crack down on bounty hunters who sometimes act like they're in the Wild West.

A 2006 state law that's now taking effect requires bounty hunters to be at least 25 years old and have at least five years' experience in law enforcement or as a private investigator.

New Jersey also will offer a 16-hour training course in November.

State police say some bounty-hunting schools hand out badges and certification that have no legal standing. They say one school instructed students to pepper-spray anyone who answers the door at the home of a person being sought.

In a 2005 case, two bounty hunters handcuffed a Rutherford woman and drove her 35 miles before she convinced them she was the wrong person.


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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Texas Bondsman Suing County

A long-simmering dispute between bail bondsmen and counties across Texas has resulted in a lawsuit against Wichita County.

Longtime bail bondsman Ken Knowles sued for reimbursement for what he sees as overcharges on fees his company and others must pay the county when a criminal suspect doesn’t show up for a court date.

“Over the years, we’ve paid tens of thousands of dollars,” Knowles said. “Wichita County has been unfair.”

The suit is styled as a class action on behalf of all bondsmen in the county.

Tyler attorney Ken Good, who represents Knowles, said most counties have been charging bondsmen between $250 and $400 in civil fees when a suspect jumps bail. But he said a recent opinion from the state attorney general indicates the fees should only be about $8.

Knowles’ suit seeks to stop the overcharging and get reimbursement for past overcharges. Good said the overcharges have been occurring across the state for about 25 years. He has filed similar suits in Moore, Potter and Randall counties, where Knowles also has offices, and is looking to file suits in all counties where he perceives overcharges occurring.


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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Trial Postponed in Bondsman's Slaying

A judge today postponed the trial of a man accused of killing Richmond bail bondsman James W. Woolfolk III.

Richmond Circuit Judge Beverly W. Snukals granted the request because James E. Carr, who originally waived his right to be tried by a jury, changed his mind. Snukals set Sept. 16 as a new trial date.

Defense attorney Dean Marcus filed two motions this week: to withdraw Carr's waiver of his right to a jury trial and to withdraw as counsel for Carr, who wanted a new lawyer.

This morning, Carr said he and his client had patched up their differences but that his client still wanted to be tried by a jury.


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Bounty Hunter Trying to Help Casey Anthony

Bondsman failed to get Casey Anthony out of jail for a second day in a row, citing issues with paper work.

The 22-year-old mother of missing toddler Caylee Marie Anthony will spend at least one more night in jail.

If bail is posted tonight, jail officials say that the soonest she could be released is tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. because of the home confinement hold.

Leonard Padilla, a California bounty hunter, has been in Orlando since Sunday, trying to get Anthony out of jail.

She hasn't had any visitors outside of her legal team and has not made any phone calls, according to jail records.

Rob Dick, another bounty hunter working with Leonard Padilla, said that they are working toward Anthony's release today and it could come as soon as this afternoon. Bondsman Tony Padilla is working on paperwork this morning and finishing "dotting the i's and crossing the t's," Dick said.


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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Should Defendants Who Breach Bail Conditions Go To Jail?

Nick Herbert, the shadow Justice Secretary, will unveil a range of new proposals to crackdown on those flouting bail conditions if the Conservatives win the next general election. He will also pledge to improve the enforcement of bail condition, describing the current situation as "seriously deficient".

New figures obtained by the Conservatives reveal that almost half of suspects who jump bail are punished with a fine which averages just £61.

The Tories are now proposing a specific new "breach of bail" offence punishable with a prison sentence. Judges should also be given crucial information on whether suspects have breached bail conditions in the past before deciding whether it is appropriate.

Mr Herbert, who has been reviewing the bail laws over the past six months, said: "The current system is not working - bail is too easily granted, frequently breached and improperly enforced. Public confidence is undermined when bail conditions are routinely breached, offenders hold the criminal justice system in contempt, and new victims of crime are created unnecessarily. It is time to tighten the bail laws and put public safety first."

At the moment, there is a "presumption" to offer bail to most suspects. However, the Conservatives are proposing to deny bail to those previously convicted of serious offences and to people accused of murder. People previously breaching bail will also lose the benefit of the presumption of bail.

Judges will have to take into account public safety as an "explicit consideration" when awarding bail and the Tories want to extend the use of electronic tagging to monitor suspects. They will also explore the use of so-called bail bonds - where suspects borrow money from private firms which is paid into court and only repaid if bail conditions are met.

Many of the proposals would bring laws in England and Wales into line with the tougher regime in Scotland.

The Conservative announcement comes the day after the first anniversary of the murder of Garry Newlove who was kicked to death by a group of youths whose ringleader had just been released on bail. Mr Newlove's widow, Helen, has appeared at Conservative party events and several of her ideas have been adopted as party policy.

The latest statistics released by the Government show that more than 25,000 suspects breached their bail conditions in 2006. Of these, 12,909 were fined and only 3,000 were put into custody.

A growing number of people accused of violent crimes are now being freed on bail - almost 65,000 in 2006 - and one in six murders are committed by suspects on bail.

An official report into the killing of Richard Whelan published earlier this year found a "lackadaisical or nonchalant approach to bail" within the criminal justice system, and a "lack of diligence in verifying suggested bail conditions, scant evidence of enforcement of those conditions, and a failure to deal effectively with breaches when they occurred."

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Bondsman Gets Suspect With a Little Help

A Blount County bounty hunter got his man Monday night, but not until after Oak Ridge police were contacted and an unidentified citizen provided a little help.

Oak Ridge police reports said officers were sent to the Grove Center about 6:30 p.m. Monday, after someone reported shots being fired in the shopping center.

When officers arrived, they found a Blount County bail bondsman armed with two weapons: a handgun and a shotgun.

Christopher Harwell, a Blount County bondsman, told officers he was trying to apprehend a suspect and had fired a bean bag projectile at a man. He told officers the suspect was wanted on outstanding Blount County warrants.

The suspect, identified as Daniel Eric Reynolds, 24, 250 Jefferson Ave., was taken into custody after Harwell shot him at least once with the "less lethal ammunition." Reports said Reynolds was knocked to the ground, but got up and tried to run away again.

Harwell reportedly told police he followed Reynolds to Oak Ridge and fired the bean bag at him when he ran. He said he shot Reynolds once in the right side, knocking him down.

At that point, an unidentified person kept Reynolds from running until Harwell took him into custody.

Officer Karen Jenkins emptied the bounty hunter's weapons for safety and requested his papers that authorized the arrest.

Reports said Harwell's shotgun was loaded with two 12-gauge slugs and one 12-gauge buckshot shell, in addition to the bean bag ammo.

Jenkins reported that Harwell had the proper paperwork to apprehend Reynolds, but did not have papers pertaining to his bonding status, his weapon-carry permit, and his use of "less lethal" implements.

The bounty hunter told Jenkins he would have that paperwork faxed to the police department.

The officer's report indicates the incident won't be closed until the bondsman's paperwork has been received and she reviews the incident with the district attorney general's office.

Records do not indicate the charges Reynolds faces in Blount County. He has a criminal history in Anderson County and ended a prison sentence in August 2007.



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71 Year-old Hairdresser by Day, Bounty Hunter by Night

After selling his Buckhead beauty school and most of his Atlanta hair salons, Refugio "Fugi" Escobedo could have hung up the apron.

Instead, he strapped on a bulletproof vest.

Now, at 71, the Marietta man leads a rare double life. He's a hair stylist. And a bounty hunter.

Think Vidal Sassoon meets Duane "Dog" Chapman. Only unlike Chapman — reality TV's blond bounty hunter — Escobedo's long, flowing hair is black. And Escobedo doesn't have an entire team backing him up. A self-defense expert, he often works alone.

"A lot of people, when they look at me, they expect an old man barely creeping along," he says. "That's not the issue here. What I mean is, I kick (expletive)."

On a recent morning, Escobedo pulls something out of his apron as he does highlights inside Fugi Hair, the Cobb County salon that bears his nickname. Then, with the flick of a wrist, Escobedo exposes a blade.

"You carry a knife?" says longtime customer Charlotte Gattis, a row of tinfoil glistening in her hair.

"Oh, yeah," Escobedo says. "I carry a lot of knives."

Gattis' eyes bulge. "I'm letting this man do my hair?"

Thousands have.

Escobedo first wielded clippers more than 50 years ago, in the Navy. He charged $2 for cuts that met military standards but had a little more style.

After serving in Korea, he returned to his native Texas and became one of the few men to attend beauty school — on the GI Bill. Escobedo was hooked from the moment he peered into that Houston beauty college. "I saw 200 or 300 women in this place," he says. "I said, 'I think I'm going to beauty school — to pick up chicks.' "

He picked up a career, too.

He styled hair in Texas, then Puerto Rico, where he earned a black belt in karate. Escobedo, who is now divorced, moved with his wife to Atlanta in 1974. They opened a salon on Peachtree Street, where clients could see their hair fibers under a microscope. It was called "Fugi and the Hair Doctor."

Eventually, Escobedo operated five metro Atlanta salons as well as a massage and beauty school at Lindbergh Plaza called Capelli Learning Center.

Escobedo, whose martial arts training expanded to muay thai, aikido and other disciplines, began teaching classes in self-defense to police officers and groups such as the Georgia Commission on Women. But when asked how he knew his tactics worked, Escobedo found he lacked street cred. So he got certified as a private investigator and took courses in bail recovery. Soon the master cosmetologist was also combing the streets. No one seemed to care that he is certified by Clairol and gets a thank-you in the book "Haircoloring in Plain English."

"He's in better shape than most people half his age," said Lewis Grady, risk loss prevention manager at James Bond Inc., a Cartersville firm where Escobedo does contract work. "He's a real asset."

A second-generation Mexican-American, Escobedo found his language skills in great demand, too. When Spanish speakers don't show up for court, Escobedo is often able to figure out where they hang out. "If the guy used to date a girl," he says, "that's great because she hates him and she'll tell me everything."

But bounty hunting, he says, isn't as glamorous as it is portrayed on TV. "It's a job that can get you killed," he says. "I deal with a lot of gang-bangers."

Back at the hair salon, Escobedo pulls a metal clip from his sleeve and slides it, ever so gently, into Gattis' hair. He's not giving her any old highlights. "We're doing marvelights," he explains. "They're marvelous." Escobedo, who studies Zen Buddhism, says his professions are like yin and yang. There's balance in holding a blow-dryer with two barrels, then packing a shotgun with one.

"I couldn't do the bail recovery thing 100 percent," he says, looking into a mirror covered with his collection of pink-, purple- and yellow–haired trolls. "It messes with your head."

Escobedo says he's yet to encounter one of his salon clients during his other line of work. Nobody, he says, moves in both those circles.

Well, almost nobody.


FUGI, HAIR STYLIST:

Education: graduate, Modern Beauty College in Houston; chemistry for cosmetologists diploma, Atlanta Junior College; expert certificate, Clairol Institute of Haircoloring.

Hair: Down

Equipment: Apron (black), thinning scissors, blending scissors, chucking scissors, razors, clippers, double-barrel 2000-watt Italian blow-dryer, curling irons, aluminum foil, hair tint, electric rollers, flatirons, curling irons, rattail comb, tapered barbering comb, clipper comb, cutting comb.

Philosophy: "If you work with your hands, you're a laborer. If you work with your hands and your mind, you're a technician. If you work with your hands, your mind and your heart, you're an artist."

FUGI, BOUNTY HUNTER:

Education: Private investigation certificate, Chattahoochee Technical College; member, International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association; dozens of courses, including "Speedcuffing," "Tactical Jaw & Limb Control" and "Street Weapon Defense."

Hair: Up

Equipment: Hat (black), metal detector, pepper spray, 40-caliber Glock, baby Glock, three knives (minimum), handcuffs (two pairs), bulletproof vest, leg irons, Remington 870 shotgun, flashlight, walkie-talkie.

Philosophy: "I'm a pacifist — with a propensity for violence." Also: "Sometimes it's chicken. Sometimes it's feathers."


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Bail Fund Drive Begins

Some illegal immigrants arrested in workplace raids by federal agents will now have a resource to help them post bond and have a day in court.

The National Immigrant Bond Fund will launch a fundraising campaign and make its national debut during a news conference at Casa de Maryland in Silver Spring on Monday. The immigrant advocacy group helped workers seized in a recent federal raid in Annapolis access the bond fund, which was formalized about three months ago.

Here's how the fund works: Illegal immigrants arrested in raids who do not have any outstanding criminal violations can apply for financial assistance. Churches, legal organizations or groups such as Casa help facilitate their requests. The fund provides half the bail money and immigrants must pony up the rest.

"The chance of somebody in essence absconding is by and large eliminated because they have their money invested in their freedom as well," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum in Washington and a member of the fund's committee.

The fund aims to ensure that immigrants have access to the court system. Advocates say immigrants are too often sent directly into deportation proceedings without an opportunity to argue their case. They say the fund is also a way to build public opposition to raids, keep families together and bring another voice into the debate for immigration reform.

Financial oversight of the fund is handled by Public Interest Projects, a New York-based nonprofit.

The fund grew out of a series of efforts by 57-year-old Boston financier Bob Hildreth, owner of International Bank Services Inc., which buys and sells loans worldwide.

Hildreth said he gave $130,000 last year to help detainees post bond after a raid at a New Bedford, Mass., factory by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The detainees' families pitched in $100,000.

Hildreth contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars more this year after following workplace raids, including one on June 30 at Annapolis Painting Services company, where federal officials arrested 45 employees on administrative immigration violations.

The financier studied Spanish in Mexico as a college student, and over the decades he has contributed millions to establish education and citizenship programs for immigrants in Massachusetts, among other initiatives.

Through the bond fund, Hildreth said he wants to reach out to those who support humanitarian and immigration rights and who believe, like him, that immigrants have long contributed to America's economic health.

"As long as these raids occur, we will respond," he said.


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Laws for Bounty Hunters Still Up In Air

As the mayor and council meet to possibly settle with the fourth and last officer involved with the bounty hunter incident, the policy and the hardware touted as the means to prevent such an incident from happening again have yet to be put into place.

The council is reportedly in the process of drafting a bounty hunting ordinance and has discussed the purchase of fingerprinting equipment. Both moves are in response to the June 2005 incident in which Rutherford police allowed borough resident Claudia Santana to be taken from her home by armed bounty hunters and transported to Dover.

The mayor and council met this week to discuss litigation with former Rutherford police Sergeant Nicholas Loizzi, one of the four officers involved in the bounty hunter incident from 2005 and the only officer who hasn't yet returned to work at the department. Last month, on July 24, rather than hear testimony the administrative court judge hearing Loizzi's appeal for his job back brought both sides together to meet in judges' chambers.

"There have been settlement discussions prompted by the court," said Mayor John Hipp about the meeting two weeks ago. He said the special council meeting was to discuss the status of the case in light of these discussions.

The other three officers, Sergeant Robert Buell, Patrolman Andrzej Hein and Patrolman Christopher Esposito, accepted an offer from the borough in March. Loizzi was the only one of the four officers to be criminally indicted, but the charges were later dropped and Loizzi filed a complaint against the borough. In March, Hein and Esposito both agreed to retroactive suspensions and salary reimbursements capped at $35,000 each. Buell agreed to a retroactive demotion and mitigated back pay minus any earned income he made during the interval. Earlier this year Hipp said it was his hope and intention to eventually settle with Loizzi as well.

In April, Mayor John Hipp spelled out what he would want an ordinance regulating bounty hunters to require. Bounty hunters, he said, would be required to report to police headquarters and present information about the suspect they're seeking as well as the warrant from the issuing jurisdiction. Rutherford officers would then accompany the bounty hunter to arrest the suspect and bring him or her back to headquarters for positive identification with the department's new Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) before the bounty hunter could return the suspect to the jurisdiction.

"I think [such an ordinance] would finally address what happened in 2005," said Hipp. He had originally hoped for introduction in June, but also noted the process would require careful attention since Rutherford may be the only municipality in New Jersey and one of the few in the country to introduce such an ordinance. As of the end of July, there is still only a draft version, according to Hipp, which he, police director John Thompson, borough attorney Lane Biviano and council police liaison John Genovesi have been working on.

"Do we have an idea what we'd like to say?" asked Biviano. "Sure, but you have to buttress that with all the other rights and statutes that exist. We're not creating this in a vacuum."

New Jersey has a Bounty Hunter Licensing Act, which was only passed in 2006, well after the incident in Rutherford. According to the act, all bounty hunters must be licensed by the superintendent of state police. In order to be licensed, one must submit to state police one's name, age, place of residence, intended place of business, employment history, proof of at least five years' worth of law enforcement experience within the United States and "the written approval of not fewer than five reputable citizens who have known the applicant for at least three years … and who shall certify that the applicant is a person of good moral character and behavior." One must also undergo a criminal history background check. Anyone who has been convicted of a felony or any controlled dangerous substance violation won't be licensed.

The law also makes provision for people who had been working as bounty hunters prior to passage of the act who lacked the five years' law enforcement experience: Such people were required to take a training course administered by state police. The act doesn't state particulars of how a bounty hunter is to proceed in apprehending a suspect at the municipal level. It does, however, state that anyone found to have used "unlawful force" in their business or who refuses or has ever refused to appear in a court of law when required or refuses to testify or submit records regarding any investigation when required will have their license revoked. Licenses must be renewed every two years.

As for the borough's AFIS machine, installing the hard wiring, connecting to the system, purchasing the equipment and training officers in its use will mean the machine probably won't be up and running and ready for regular use until at least October, according to Genovesi. Once installed, the device will allow officers to fingerprint suspects on a touch screen and search for a match to the digital image in state and federal databases in a matter of minutes or hours as opposed to the days or weeks it could take under the old print and ink system.



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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Inside the Bail Business

If you're arrested, a bail bondsman can be your best friend or worst enemy.

Bondsmen hold the "get-out-of-jail" card, but unlike the game of Monopoly, it's not free. And once they secure your release, your level of freedom may be just a little greater than it was when you were behind bars.

Do what the bail bondsman asks and show up for all your court dates, however, and you'll be fine. Slip up, and you could be headed back to the slammer.


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