Bondsman on Hunt for Truth about Haggard

Boxes labeled "New Life Church" occupy a prominent spot in Bobby Brown's downtown office, a testament to his mission to get to the bottom of allegations against Ted Haggard and the megachurch Haggard once headed.

For two years, the Colorado Springs bail bondsman, investigator and sometime bounty hunter has been casually digging into Haggard's alleged sexual indiscretions while he was senior pastor at New Life Church - the result, he says, of tips that came from several sources within New Life.

But he had other work to do, and no compelling reason to devote a lot of time to the case.

That changed last Friday, after New Life senior pastor Brady Boyd e-mailed church members to say that after Haggard's resignation in 2006, the church "received reports of a number of incidents of inappropriate behavior" that occurred when Haggard was pastor.

Read more at The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO).

Keanu to Play Futuristic Anime Bounty Hunter

After recently becoming an alien in The Day the Earth Stood Still, Keanu Reeves signed on for another sci-fi remake: this time, he will become a space-traveling bounty hunter in the live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop.

Read more at BuddyTV.com.

Bail Agent Fighting City of Los Angeles to Buy Used Books

Collector Richard Hopp of Van Nuys, California, is battling the city of Los Angeles and its police department over their definitions of "dealers." In November 2008 Hopp filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the city and sought "Declaratory Relief to Determine Validity of Ordinances and Injunction."

Richard Hopp is a bail bondsman by profession and "an avid collector of books, documents, and ephemera as a hobby," to quote from his suit. Hopp stated that he sets up at "exhibitions, festivals, meetings, flea markets, swap meets, trade shows, garage sales, and collector meetings" and wishes to have an "exhibitor table" or "buying booth" at the events listed above. He claims that he's just a collector, though, and not a dealer or seller.

The city of Los Angeles has two ordinances relating to the regulation of secondhand book dealers and secondhand dealers in general. Those ordinances are enforced by the police department. That department has decided that Richard Hopp is "a secondhand book dealer" and must comply with the city's rules regulating those individuals.

Read the rest of the story at Maine Antique Digest.

Bail Agent Sentence to Three Years Probation

A bail agent who pleaded guilty in 2004 to charges stemming from the county's bail bond investigation was sentenced Friday to three years felony probation.

Gerald Lee Brandt, who was one of several defendants who accepted plea bargains early in the case, was sentenced before Judge Colin Bilash in San Bernardino Superior Court.

Brandt, 40, had to give up his bail license as part of the agreement. He also agreed to testify at any upcoming trials for remaining defendants in the case.

Read more at Redlands Daily Facts.

Attorney General Drops Charges Against Jersey Bounty Hunter

Charges of witness tampering and terroristic threats against bounty hunter Adel Mikhaeil were dismissed late yesterday afternoon, his lawyer said this morning.

The state Attorney General's Office dismissed without prejudice two charges against Mikhaeil, 43, which means the state can recharge the Jersey City man in the future. A state spokesperson could not be immediately reached for the reason why the charges were dismissed.

"It's safe to say that Mr. Mikhaeil is happy about it," Robert Gold, Mikhaeil's attorney, said of the dismissal.

Read the rest of the story at NJ.com.