Suspect Escapes Bondsman

A Laurel bondsman is looking for a client who walked away from him after his bail was paid last week at the Lincoln County Jail.

Bondsman Donald Dale Hollifield of Donald's Bonding Company said James May, 29, of Brookhaven, asked to borrow a cellular phone after being bonded out of the Lincoln County Jail on Wednesday.

Officials said May had called someone to come and pay the bondsman. But upon finding out payment would not be made, he took the phone and ran after talking on it shortly outside the jail.

May is charged with sexual assault and burglary after entering the home of an elderly Brookhaven woman. He was out on bond on a felony charge in Jones County at the time of his arrest, and was allowed bond in Brookhaven Municipal Court.

Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing said May's bond has been paid; therefore he is legally out of jail.

Brookhaven Police Chief Pap Henderson said the fact that May has not paid Hollifield is a problem, but not one that can be handled by jail or police officials until he does not appear in court at his preliminary hearing on June 30. And although his officers cannot legally apprehend May if he is found because he has bonded out, Henderson said they will be extra vigilant in protecting the community.

"I know that we will be protecting the victims and witnesses," he said. "We made them aware that he was bonding out. They're our priority."

Hollifield, however, is concerned about the possible $100,000 he may be held responsible for if May does not appear for his preliminary hearing.

"We're hunting him, and if anybody has any information to get him rounded up, we need them to call us," Hollifield said.

Hollifield can be reached at his company at (601) 649-2382.

May was arrested and charged in conjunction with a breaking and entering complaint reported May 30. When an officer was sent to the scene, the elderly victim reported that she found a man in her home who assaulted her sexually.

Officials said the woman told police she found the man standing in the living room of her home in a neighborhood off North Jackson Street. She said he made a threatening statement before putting a knife to her throat and taking her into the bedroom and assaulting her.

Did Aztec Judge Make Bail Officer’s Work Harder?

An Aztec municipal judge is accused of alerting a defendant that a bail officer was en route to arrest him.

The district attorney's office said Barbara Aldaz-Mills was charged Wednesday with misdemeanor encouraging violation of bail. She declines comment.

Her attorney, Victor Titus, said the charge is a legal impossibility, and he is advising her to vigorously challenge it.

A bail bondsman had gone to Durango, Colo., to arrest a man May 6 after a bail bond company requested that the man's $1,800 bond be revoked.

The Daily Times in Farmington reports the judge is accused of leaving a telephone message for the man, warning him that officers were coming to arrest him and to return to court to resolve the situation.

Bondsman Markets With Flair

Bail bondsman Duke Barrett's grammar can be questioned, but not his sense of humor. Barrett owns Ain't Gonna Wear Pink Shorts Bail Bonds on north Scottsdale Road in Tempe. He admits that the shorts are a reference to the pink underwear Maricopa Country Sheriff Joe Arpaio makes jail inmates wear.

"Some people come in here, see we have T-shirts with a pink-shorts logo, hot pink business cards and forms, and they don't get it," said Barrett, bail bondsman for five years who started his own business two years ago. "Most do understand the joke. Especially the sheriff's employees. They probably laugh the most."

Arpaio gets it, too.

"I've got to talk to my lawyer to see if they're stealing this from me," Arpaio said with a chuckle. "That's OK. He's encouraging people not to go to jail and get pink underwear and face the things we've taken away from them. He's helping people, in a strange way. It's good that he's spreading the word."

The front and back of Barrett's T-shirts show the universal circle with a slash symbol for "no" over a pair of pink shorts. He said he came up with the idea for the company name about two weeks before restaurateurs announced they were going to use the name Pink Taco in Scottsdale and long after Arpaio started dressing inmates in pink underwear. Barrett points out that he uses the word shorts, rather than underwear.

Barrett insists that while some of his customers think he's making fun of Arpaio's gimmick - the last four digits of the company's phone number spells out the word "pink" - nothing could be further from the truth."I'm not against the guy at all," said Barrett, who added he has never been in jail. "I'm not starting an anti-Arpaio campaign or anything like that. It's all gotten me a little publicity. It makes people smile. I was looking for an original name."

Barrett said he thinks people who use his services are already stressed out. While he takes his business seriously, he thinks a touch of humor can help ease tension.

Even in a courtroom.

Barrett said Superior Court Commissioner Lisa Ann VandenBerg smiled when she read aloud the name of his company Tuesday in court.

"She seemed to love to say the name," Barrett said. "That's what it's all about."

A spokesman for VandenBerg said she had no comment.

Barrett, also a fugitive recovery agent, admits he has tried to get the upper hand on the sheriff while doing so with criminals.

"I wanted to go with pink handcuffs, but the sheriff beat me to that, too," Barrett said. "I tell people I just want to get them out of their pink shorts. ... We'll get you out faster than the green baloney sandwiches the sheriff serves will."

Accused Bondsman Killer Fit For Trial

A Richmond man accused of killing a bail bondsman has been found competent to stand trial.

Richmond psychologist Evan S. Nelson evaluated James E. Carr, 20, to determine his competence to stand trial as well as his level of sanity at the time of the killing. Based on Nelson's conclusions, Richmond Circuit Judge Beverly W. Snukals yesterday found Carr competent for trial, despite previous testimony that he had complained of hearing voices urging him to kill himself.

James E. Carr, 20, waived his right to a trial by jury and agreed instead to be tried by Snukals on a charge of first-degree murder in the shooting death of James W. Woolfolk III. Snukals scheduled the trial for Aug. 15.

Defense attorney Dean Marcus said yesterday that Carr will not raise sanity as an issue in the trial, which is expected to last only a few hours because of general agreement about the facts of the case.

Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew P. Geary predicted a straightforward case at trial.

"Sanity is not an issue, competence is not an issue," Geary said. "We have a very strong case."

Woolfolk, 39, was attempting to arrest Carr early on March 6 in South Richmond when the unarmed bondsman was shot three times from behind. Police arrested Carr hours later after a tense standoff in a home several blocks from the Joplin Avenue house where Woolfolk died.

It was the first time a bail bondsman had been killed in the line of duty in Virginia in modern memory. Carr has been held in a jail in New Kent County because of concerns about his safety in Richmond City Jail. Authorities said inmates there who relied on Woolfolk for bonding directed threats at Carr.

Did Bondsman Facilitate Dragging Accident?

A Lander man admitted Thursday to dragging another man under a sport utility vehicle while driving drunk in Casper in December.

Doug Downs, 40, told a Natrona County District Court judge that he was under the influence of alcohol when he dragged Casper resident Jeff Irene more than a mile.

He had been arrested twice on Dec. 30, the night in question. The first time was for drunken driving, and when he was released from jail, he said his bondsman returned him to the establishment where he had been.

That was when the "accident occurred," he said.

Downs admitted to having a blood-alcohol level of .11. In Wyoming, a person is considered too drunk to drive if his blood-alcohol level is more than .08.

Wearing a black leather jacket, white button-down shirt and black boots, Downs stood politely before Judge Scott Skavdahl and pleaded guilty to charges of driving under the influence and driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury.

Authorities say Downs was driving the Chevrolet Tahoe that dragged Irene through Casper in the early morning on Dec. 30.

Irene suffered massive internal injuries. He spent more than four months in the hospital and returned home in mid-May.

Downs told police earlier than he found Irene lying in a ditch when he returned home from the Sandbar Lounge.

He was not sentenced during Thursday's change-of-plea hearing. The judge did say the two sentences would run concurrently, which means he could face up to 10 years in prison with credit for time served. Downs may also be told to pay restitution to Irene.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped an original charge of aggravated assault.

Assistant District Attorney Dan Itzen said the charge of driving while under the influence and causing serious bodily injury is a new statute, which went into effect in July 2007.

Downs remains free on a $50,000 bond.

Bail Bondsman Investigated in Shooting

Nathan Hingson is one of about 140 bail bond recovery agents operating statewide.

Similar to "Dog the Bounty Hunter," the reality TV star with the mullet and muscles, recovery agents in Washington are licensed to put fugitives in handcuffs, carry weapons and force their way into people's homes.

Hingson opened fire in a busy Lake Stevens convenience store parking lot Friday when he was trying to arrest a fugitive. Lake Stevens police are investigating the shooting.

They are scheduled to meet with Hingson on Wednesday, at the bail recovery agent's request, Lake Stevens Police Chief Randy Celori said Monday.

State officials on Monday also opened an investigating of the shooting.

Hingson was trying to detain a Lake Stevens woman, 25, who allegedly has missed court dates and is wanted on multiple misdemeanor arrest warrants carrying nearly $23,000 bail.

Hingson said the woman was in a pickup outside the store and he told her to stop. Instead, she started the truck. He punched out the driver's window. Then she tried to run him down, Hingson said. That's when he said he shot at the pickup to get her to stop. Police are still trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Hingson said he was trying to arrest the woman because she is a fugitive and he guaranteed a court that she would show up. If she fails to appear in court, he could be on the hook for entire bail amount.

Linda Braswell is president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States. She said she has been a bail bonds agent for nearly 40 years, hunting fugitives in Florida. She has never fired her weapon.

"No one is worth me getting killed or me killing them," she said. "I'm not going to try to outrun or outshoot someone. I don't know any other legitimate bail agent that wants the liability that could be brought against us by the misuse of a firearm or any other weapon."

Hingson's attorney, Julian Denes of Everett, on Monday said his client has done nothing wrong.

"It has been indicated to me that in over 18 years of being a bail bondsman my client has never had to resort to shooting his gun," Denes wrote in an e-mail. "Further, he was in fear of his life, over a known criminal who has a warrant out for her arrest, when he discharged the weapon. He was clearly defending himself."

Although bail bond recovery agents arrest people and many are licensed to carry firearms, they do not have the same authority as police, nor are they governed by the same rules.

Typically people pay bail bond agents a fee to avoid sitting behind bars while they wait for their court date. The amount varies, but often is about 10 percent of the bail set by a judge.

Courts issue bail to defendants because of constitutional assumptions of innocence until somebody is proven guilty. Bail is intended to insure the defendant shows up in court.

The woman signed a contract with Bail Bond by Nate, Hingson's Lynnwood business, Hingson said.

The woman remained free Monday. Her legal troubles include allegations of driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence and making false statements to police.

Police don't believe the woman was injured Friday by the gunfire. Detectives want to interview her.

"We want to get the specifics on what happened during the incident and hear her version of the events," Celori said. Detectives aren't searching for the woman and will wait for her to get picked up or turn herself in.

It's against the law to discharge a firearm within Lake Stevens city limits, Celori said. Lake Stevens police have impounded Hingson's handgun as evidence.

Lake Stevens detectives also will gather evidence to forward to Snohomish County prosecutors to determine if Hingson was legally justified in using deadly force.

Anyone who shoots at someone else faces potential criminal charges, including illegal discharge of a weapon, assault or even attempted murder, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe said.

When a firearm is used, prosecutors must decide whether a person acted in self-defense, Roe said.

"Police, bail bondsmen, anyone -- everyone's conduct is looked at the same way," he said.

In his more than 20 years as a prosecutor, Roe said he hasn't encountered a similar case.

Hingson also is being investigated by the state Department of Licensing, the state agency that regulates the bail bond industry.

It's not the first time Hingson has had to answer questions from state officials.

In February 2007, the state alleged Hingson failed to keep adequate records, committed "material fraud" and failed to maintain a trust account for his business. His bail bond agency license was suspended and he was ordered to take accounting classes. Hingson said he and his wife were victims of a Las Vegas-based bail bond business that set them up.

The Las Vegas company, Bail Bonds America, sued Hingson and his wife in 2005. Among other things, the Nevada company alleged breach of contract, theft and fraud. In court papers, Hingson countered that he and his wife did nothing wrong. A Seattle police investigation in 2005 determined that Hingson and his wife did not commit fraud against the company, according to documents Hingson filed with the court. The lawsuit was dropped.

The state issues different bail bond licenses, some for operating a business, others for issuing bonds and a third for bounty hunters.

Shortly after Hingson's business license was suspended, he obtained a bail bond recovery license, the license to find and arrest "skips," people who have missed their court date.

In April 2007, Bail Bond by Nate was opened by Hingson's wife and a friend.

After the business started, state regulators received a complaint that Hingson may have been issuing bail bond contracts, despite his suspended bail bond agent license.

No evidence to support the complaint was found, said Brad Benfield, a Department of Licensing spokesman.

Bounty hunters can carry weapons, but they are governed by the same rules that apply to everybody else, Benfield said. They can only use firearms if there is an imminent threat to their life, or someone else's life.

Friday's incident, added to a fatal shooting by a bail bondsman last month in Pierce County and the legal troubles of TV's Duane "Dog" Chapman, reinforce a negative stereotype about the industry.

"This business conducts itself in a really professional manor and does a real service to the community," Mike Rocha said. He's an Everett-based recovery agent who's been working in the field for 25 years. "It's our responsibility to make sure (defendants) show up in court."

Goldberg Family Bonds

Goldberg may not be the most common name in Minnesota. But thanks to the signs that say "GOLDBERG BAIL BONDS" on benches and buses across the Twin Cities, Goldberg is one of the most recognizable names.

This week, Goldberg Bonding celebrated its 100th anniversary of getting people out of jail. To mark the occasion, Scott Goldberg met Patti Goldberg for the first time.

"Are we related?" I asked.

"Yes, we are," she laughed.

We're really not.

But the way Goldberg (Patti) sees it, everyone who visits her office - even if their last name isn't Goldberg - is family.

"We are families serving families for 100 years," she said. "Pretty damn good."

Patti owns the bail bonding business that's been passed through her (actual) family since 1908. Her grandfather, Morris, was a Russian immigrant in Saint Paul who helped other immigrants with legal issues.

Morris' business turned into the bonding business, which Patti's father, Bud, took over in 1957. Bud then turned over the business to Patti in 1997.

"I swore, like every girl would, that they'd never work in daddy's business," she said.

Why?

"Because when everybody says 'What does your dad do?' they say 'doctor,' (or) 'insurance,' and I'd be like, 'bail bondsman,' " she said, covering her face in mock shame.

Bail bonding has kind of a weird image, thanks very much to the popular A&E series "Dog the Bounty Hunter."

Dog, a cross between a Hell's Angel, a heavy metal groupie, and a post-apocalyptic warrior, rides around with a tattooed posse hunting down fugitives who jumped bail.

"We gotta be really careful," Dog said in a typical episode, speaking into a two-way radio while he was in hot pursuit of someone. "He's gonna be really schizo."

To be sure, Dog's last name is not Goldberg.

Patti explains her business like this: "Someone's in jail, they get a bail set, someone calls us, we post their bail, we get them out of jail."

And if someone jumps bail, Goldberg uses a private investigator to track them down. She said only about six percent of Goldberg bail jumpers are never found.

Goldberg Bonding celebrated its anniversary Wednesday night with a reception in the rotunda at Minneapolis City Hall. Patti introduced just about everyone there as a member of her family.

"This is my Saint Paul family," she said in a typical exchange.

Her business family now has six offices across the state and also works in Iowa and the Dakotas.

"I'm working with women and fathers and mothers and girlfriends who are just really upset their loved one is in jail," she said.

It's a family that spent the last century adding relatives, like this reporter, or at least making sure everyone recognized the family name.

And as I left her office, she said, "Thank you, my new relative."

Bail Bondsman Attacked with Knife

The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has filed more charges on 28-year-old Shane Steele after he pulled a knife on two bail bondsmen and was shot Monday.

After being shot in the leg, treated and released from an area hospital, Steel was originally charged on an outstanding Sarasota County warrant for Home Invasion Robbery with a Deadly Weapon and Attempted Murder.

The new charges filed were two counts of Assault With Intent to Commit Homicide, and two outstanding warrants for Robbery and Failure to Appear in a Charlotte County court.

Two licensed Bail Bondsmen from A Way Out Bail Bonds were acting on a tip that Steele would be at the Luther Road apartment complex. The bondsmen spotted Steele, a physical struggle ensued, and Steele pulled out a knife. Both bondsmen pulled their firearms ordering him to drop the knife. Steele displayed the knife in a threatening manner saying several times, "I'll kill you," then came at the bondsmen and they both fired, hitting Steele in the right upper portion of his leg.

Steele kept the knife and fled into an apartment where he barricaded himself in the bathroom.

The CCSO Fugitive Warrant Squad detectives arrived and established communications with Steele who told Sgt. Rick Goff that if he attempted to enter he would "cut his throat." Forced entry was made, Steele continued to resist and a Tazer was activated. Steele remains in the County Jail without bond.

Bondsmen and Police Track Man Wanted on Meth Charges

Authorities used a helicopter and tracking dogs to help corner a man wanted on charges of failing to show up in court on methamphetamine charges.

Police officers pitched in to help bail bondsmen who were trying to arrest 36-year-old Brian Gregory Payne.

The two-hour search began Monday afternoon near Etowah High School after a police officer saw the bondsmen in a yellow Mustang pursuing Payne.

Payne drove into woods, got out of the car he was driving and ran away, but he later called a police officer he knew and agreed to surrender.

Sheriff Todd Entrekin said the man was charged last year with manufacturing methamphetamine and other drug-related felonies. He was free on bonds totaling about $50,000 but is now being held in the county jail.

Bail Bond Business Bucks City Ordinance

Brandon will hold a public hearing next week to discuss a bail bonding company's attempt to move into a vacant downtown Brandon building.

New bail bonding businesses, along with tattoo parlors, check cashing businesses and others are forbidden by a city ordinance passed earlier this year.

City officials say the ordinance is designed to reinvent the area as an arts and antique district.

"I've always felt like we needed downtown to be a special area," alderwoman Yvonne Bianchi said. "In my opinion, there are enough bail bondsmen."

George Sandifer, owner of American National Bail Bonding Agency in Pearl, said he was denied a license, even though he applied for it the day before the ordinance took effect.

Sandifer spoke to the Brandon Board of Aldermen in April, but the business has been in limbo ever since.

"This thing was planned ahead of time, and it was planned to adhere to the historical society (exterior regulations)," he said. "I just feel like we should be allowed to proceed."

Sandifer said he doesn't feel that the spirit of the ordinance matches up with the reality of his business.

"We're not a fly-by-night outfit," he said. "Our offices are on the line of an attorney's office."

Sandifer said he thinks people may have an unfair stigma attached to their perception of the business.

(We're not) "like Dog the Bounty Hunter," Sandifer said of the A&E television personality. "I don't think that represents our line of work. We have a dress code. We're business people."

Sandifer said the business, which would be named American National Surety, would not feature a lighted sign or be open at night.

Bianchi said she's open to discussion about how the business may be different from others but said it will be a hard sell.

"They can call it whatever they wish, but it's still a bail bondsman," she said. "They're going to have to convince me that this is not going to take away from the concept that we have."

Alderman Tim Coulter, who has organized a downtown revitalization committee and is a supporter of the downtown ordinance, said he'd like to see a different business occupy the now-vacant building.

But Sandifer believes such an approach ignores one of the key features of Brandon's downtown: the Rankin County Jail and courthouse.

"Anywhere in the country, you're going to see these type of businesses near the court or the jail," he said.

Bondsmen Serve Warrant, Standoff Ensues

Bail bondsmen went to serve a warrant to a woman in Everett, but that led to a two hour standoff happened instead.

The bail bondsmen went to the apartment in the 3500 block of Rucker Avenue around 7:30 p.m., said Everett police.

The agents encountered a man instead who according to police, threatened to shoot the men.

Everett police responded to the scene and surrounded the apartment.

Police were not able to get the man to come out of the apartment, so the SWAT team was called to the scene.

After more than two hours in a standoff, the man agreed to come out and no shots were ever fired.

The man, who is in his 50s, was taken into custody.

Police said they do not know why the man was threatening. They do not believe he had any warrants out for his arrest.

The woman bail bondsmen were originally searching for has not been located.

Bounty Hunters to Become Key in Trinidad?

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday has suggested the formation of a Bounty Hunters Inc to bring criminals to justice.

He called for the group's formation because he said people had a fundamental and human right to defend themselves if the Government could not do so.

Panday, who was addressing a UNC-A public meeting in Chase Village, Chaguanas, on Monday night, said Bounty Hunters Inc would not only "be simple but legal".

He said 40 businessmen could put up $500,000 each and create a fund of $20 million "and let the criminals know that, should they attack one of you, we shall use that money to hunt them down and bring them to justice".

Panday, who recently returned from England, said he had a chance to view what was happening in Trinidad from the outside and realised the people's frustration.

"When the people accept violence and will not stand up and fight against it, they living in a failed state. When the state fails to perform its primary function, which is the protection of the property of citizens, then the people come to a point where they must defend themselves," he said.

He referred to a visit to the home of a family in Felicity, who claimed that in the absence of the businessman husband, the wife and children were attacked, beaten, robbed and assaulted "by men dressed in TSTT clothes and in a marked TSTT van".

"My information is that the police intercepted a TSTT vehicle on the highway and questioned the occupants, then sent them away, without even asking that they be identified by the victims," he said , adding the men did not wear masks during the attack and could have been identified.

Panday said before he reached home that night, he heard that another businessman was shot dead by bandits.

Bondsman’s Killer to be Evaluated

A psychiatrist will evaluate the mental state of the man accused in the March slaying of bail bondsman James W. Woolfolk III, who was shot three times from behind.

A Richmond Circuit Court judge ordered a psychiatrist to report on James E. Carr's ability to stand trial as well as his mental state at the time of the shooting, prosecutors and Carr's defense lawyer said yesterday.

Carr has complained he is hearing voices urging him to do away with himself, said his lawyer, Dean Marcus.

If true, that raises questions about whether Carr can effectively help defend himself in court, the key issue in determining whether someone is competent to stand trial in Virginia, Marcus said.

In addition to a competency evaluation, Judge Beverly W. Snukals also ordered a psychiatric review of Carr's state of mind at the time of the shooting, although Marcus had not asked for that.

In Virginia, people may be found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity if they could not tell right from wrong at the time of the alleged crime or if they did not understand the nature of their acts.

Woolfolk, the bondsman, had been trying to arrest Carr for failing to appear in court to face charges when he was shot March 6 in a house on the 2300 block of Joplin Avenue in South Richmond.

Police tracked Carr to a house a few blocks away about four hours after discovering the bondsman's body. Carr held four children and three adults hostage in that house for less than two hours before surrendering.

Woolfolk was the first bail bondsman in Virginia to be killed while trying to bring in a fugitive.

Bounty Hunters Claim Self-Defense

Police say bounty hunters feared for their safety when they killed a man they were trying to apprehend in Lakewood for skipping bail.

Lt. Dave Guttu said the four independent bond agents involved in Thursday's shooting were licensed and were not arrested.

Investigators will give the report on the shooting to the prosecutor, who will decide whether to file any charges.

Bondsman Convicted in Murder-for-Hire Case

Today, one of the bail bondsmen profiled in our story was convicted for a murder-for-hire plot, also chronicled in the April 16 story.

Glen Thomas Dotson, 43, was, "[A]ccording to court documents and the testimony of an ATF agent... a bounty hunter who worked for [Virgil Lee] Jackson, helping him to beat up people who failed to appear in court while out on bond. Currently free on bond, Dotson is charged with providing Jackson the revolver that, according to court documents, was to be used in the murder-for-hire scheme."

Here are excerpts from a press release issued today:

"Glen Thomas Dotson was convicted of charges stemming from a 2005 murder-for-hire plot to kill a St. Charles bail bondsman, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced today."

"Testimony at trial detailed how Mr. Dotson and Virgil Jackson plotted to kill a rival bondsman to eliminate their competition in the area," said Hanaway. "Mr. Jackson is serving a ten-year sentence for his part of the conspiracy, and now his partner is facing the same amount of time."

"Dotson, 43, of Silex, (Missouri), was convicted of one felony count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one felony count of conspiracy to provide a firearm to a convicted felon. The six-day trial was held before United States District Judge Henry Autrey."

"Dotson now faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000, per count, when he is sentenced on August 7, 2008."

Central Bail Bond Cars in Texas

If you drive around the city you can't miss those yellow cars from Central Bail Bonds parked on various street corners. The state is trying to get those cars moved.

These yellow cars are the trade mark for Central Bail Bonds. The cars are all vintage fully restored, fully licensed and legal to drive on the streets.

Kenneth Knowles, the owner of Central Bail Bonds says he has about 15 cars scattered throughout the 94 counties he serves. And now, Knowles says the state sent him a letter asking him to move the vehicles or else. Knowles says the state admitted he is the only person in this area who has received one of the letters.

But the state says its not because someone complained. Those vehicles, he explains, are also used for parades and in other events fifty to sixty times a year.

I spoke with Adele Lewis, the spokesperson for Tx-Dot. She says once a year the state inspects areas along the interstates and primary highways.

One of Knowles' cars is parked on property adjacent to a primary highway. That's the state's basis for wanting the cars moved or permitted to advertise. But this issue may already be headed to legal circles. Knowles' attorney has drafted and sent a letter to the state contesting everything.

Almost One Million In Unclaimed Bail Bond Cash In Texas County

Nearly $1 million in unclaimed bail bond money is awaiting its rightful owners at the county clerk's office.

County Clerk Delia Briones said her office has discovered about $800,000 that was never returned to people after they completed their court orders over the last nine years.

She said when someone is charged, they are taken to jail and often have the opportunity to post bond for their release. When all fines, probation and other orders made by the judge in their case are completed, the money, minus a handling fee, can be returned.

"Say it's a grandmother who just wants to help and get her grandson out (of jail). It never dawns on her that it would be returned," Briones said.

Her office began sending out about 900 letters to those entitled to a refund about a month ago. Once they contact her office, she said the process of getting the funds released by a judge begins, and the money is soon available.

"People are wondering if it's a scam," she said. "They're calling and wondering if it's for real."

Unclaimed money will be turned over to the state.

To check on a possible bond refund, call 546-2071.

California Bondsman Honored

Bail Bondsmen have a rough and tumble image, but not so Freddie Martinez.

The owner of a bail bonds agency in Fontana and a Vietnam veteran, Martinez is a soft-hearted and steadfast supporter of programs for the homeless, youth and veterans and their families.

As a veteran and business owner, Martinez has sponsored activities for high school youth and patients at the Jerry Pettis Veterans Hospital.

Other organizations he supports are San Bernardino Mission and Mary's Table.

Nominated by Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto), Martinez was recently honored as 62nd Assembly District Veteran of the Year at a luncheon at the State Capitol.

“Freddie Martinez was recognized as Veteran of the Year for his many years of contributions,” Carter said. “His activities, which promote the well being of youth, veterans and the homeless, make him an ideal honoree for this award.”

Martinez said his adult son, David, who is blind, mentally disabled and confined to bed, compels him to give to handicapped children and to associate his bail bonds business with social service organizations outside of the world of law enforcement as well as within.

Martinez, who served as a state corrections officer and Redlands police officer, served in the Army in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968. He completed one tour of duty in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry, 1st of the 5th Mechanized Unit. He was selected for the Purple Heart, received the Campaign Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, and an honorable discharge.

Martinez, a member of VFW 8737, was one of five veterans receiving special honors at a reception for military veterans hosted by Carter on May 15.

Besides Martinez, the special honorees include Fontana's Joe Dean, who served in the Army and is American Legion Post 772 commander.

Martinez, who comes from a long line of military veterans, said he is proud to receive an honor for his passion -- serving his country.

“I went in for God and country. That's what it's all about. The military shows you the purpose of achievement. It makes you love the red, white and blue, and that's what you are true to,” Martinez said.

In NY, Man Offers Fake Money for Bond

Cyheam Forney had just dropped off his girlfriend at work in Melville when he made an illegal left turn in front of a Suffolk County police sergeant. And that was only the start of his troubles Thursday evening, police said Friday.

Forney was pulled over into the Estée Lauder parking lot on Pinelawn Road by Sgt. Daniel Lynch. Three young children, a boy and two girls, were asleep in the 2006 Nissan, Lynch said.

Forney was apologetic and explained that he was on his way home to baby-sit the children, one of which was his, and the other two his girlfriend's.

When Lynch asked for a license, Forney said he didn't have one. He had no other identification on him, either.

Forney told the sergeant his name, and Lynch ran it through Department of Motor Vehicle records on his computer. Turns out, Forney's license had been suspended 35 times, police said.

"I'm sorry," Lynch recalled Forney stating. "Well, we have to take care of this," Lynch replied. They made arrangements for the children's care and went to the Second Precinct in Huntington.

There, Forney was issued summonses for the illegal turn, too-dark-tinted windows, unlicensed operation and substandard tires. He was offered $500 bail.

But when he handed over his cash, police noticed one of the bills looked fake. Forney admitted it was counterfeit, police say.

"He said some guy gave it to him when he was playing dice the night before," Lynch said.

Forney, 31, of Wyandanch, was arraigned Friday in First District Court in Central Islip and held on $5,000 for felony possession of a forged instrument and $2,500 for the motor vehicle offenses. No one answered the phone at his address.

Bounty Hunter Beats The Odds To Capture Sex Offender

Derek Morrison was hacking from walking pneumonia and had been up for about 60 hours when he delivered a fugitive sex offender to the Clark County Jail a few weeks ago.

Days earlier, the licensed bond recovery agent had driven 1,200 miles practically nonstop, from Vancouver to Arvada, Colo., west of Denver, where he found and handcuffed the man, 24-year-old Cory Robert Fellows.

“Running on vapor” by that time, Morrison put his prisoner in the back seat and began the 17-hour drive back to Vancouver.

Only 15 minutes from the Clark County Jail, he made a mistake.

It was about 4:30 in the afternoon of March 28. Morrison stopped his dusty blue 2002 Toyota Camry to let his prisoner use a restroom at a Burger King in Cascade Park.

What he didn’t know was that his prisoner had gotten the key to his handcuffs.

Moments later, he was gone.

The story of how Fellows was lost, found, lost and then found again gives a glimpse into the complex and challenging world of bail bondsmen — and the bail bond recovery agents they hire when things go wrong.

The target

Fellows had been convicted in Oregon of third-degree rape, first-degree theft and forgery. Charged in Clark County with second-degree assault for holding a pair of scissors to a girlfriend’s temple, he was convicted of third-degree assault in a plea bargain.

Scorning court appearances and probation terms, he allegedly moved from state to state, finding new girlfriends and defrauding them.

“He was really good at what he did and how he did it,” said Mike Thornton of A+ Bail Bonds in Vancouver, who has been working with Morrison for 12 years. “He did it very smoothly and didn’t think he’d get caught.”

In late October, Fellows was in custody at the Clark County Jail on a fugitive warrant, alleging that he’d fled Oregon while on probation for third-degree rape.

With his bail set at $50,000, Fellows convinced his mother, Donna Boyle of Battle Ground, to sign a deed of trust and use her home as collateral for the bond and any expenses incurred to its backer, American Surety Co.

In the Vancouver office of A+ Bail Bonds, Thornton agreed to post a $50,000 bond, and Fellows was released from custody. Four months later, the problems began.

The timeline

Feb. 21: Fellows fails to appear in court, violating the terms of the bail bond.

If recovery agents working for A+ can’t bring Fellows back in 60 days, the company might have to forfeit the $50,000 bail. The owner of A+, former police officer Tom Loos, could go to court to try to get the money back from Boyle, but it would be an expensive process.

It’s time for Thornton to bring in Morrison and get to work.

Feb. 24: Thornton speaks with Boyle. She says she doesn’t know where her son is, just that he was scared of going back to jail.

Feb. 25: The agents hit the streets. They get doors slammed in their faces by the mother’s neighbors.

“They were saying, ‘He’s a nice kid, and you should leave him alone,’ ” Thornton said later.

Feb. 26: The agents find someone who’d heard that Fellows is driving a family member’s green pickup and a motorcycle, and saying he was heading to Colorado.

Early March: A week or more has gone by when Thornton makes the next breakthrough.

“I Googled his name and, sure enough, there was a Web site that said, ‘Got scammed by Cory Fellows,’” he said.

A link led to RX7club.com, where four people complained of rip-offs, some related to vehicle parts.

“I e-mailed each and every person,” Thornton said later. “Half of them were former girlfriends.”

Still at the computer, Thornton discovers that Fellows has an active MySpace.com page that claims he was from the Breckenridge, Colo., area about 75 miles west of Denver.

At Zumiez, a hip young folks’ clothing store in Vancouver, Thornton learns that Fellows is an avid snowboarder.

He sniffs around on Mount Hood and e-mails wanted fliers with photos of Fellows to every ski resort and police department in the greater Denver area.

March 20: Thornton gets an e-mail from Officer Mark Kelley in Dillon, Colo.

A woman who lived in Dillon had told police Fellows dated her for awhile, ripped her off and left her hanging.

The officer says that Fellows’ new flame was named Megan, whereabouts and last name unknown.

With only the first name, “I searched thousands of profiles” on MySpace, Thornton said.

No luck.

March 26: Officer Kelley unearths the right Megan profile and e-mails a link to Thornton. The profile includes a comment by a man who turns out to be Megan’s brother.

That comment includes his — and presumably Fellows’ girlfriend Megan’s — last name.

Thornton puts the names together. He gets a hit in the Denver suburb of Arvada, Colo.

March 26, 9:30 p.m.: The journey begins.

Morrison and a buddy, Todd Hicks, load up the Camry and start driving toward Colorado.

It’ll be a virtually nonstop trip; no restaurants or motels, just convenience stores.

“I’d be pumping the gas, and Todd would go in and get the munchies,” Morrison said.

As Morrison and Hicks drive, Thornton is still working back in the office. He logs in to a skip-tracing database that private investigators and bond agents use.

He types in Megan with her last name and learns she has worked as a waitress at a barbecue joint near Arvada. He calls the manager.

Megan no longer works there, the manager says. But he knows Fellows is her boyfriend, and he’s sized him up as a freeloader.

The manager also happens to be a friend of Megan’s sister

March 26, 11:30 p.m.: Two hours into the trip, Morrison gets a call from Thornton with the exact address where Megan and Fellows are staying in Arvada.

The address came courtesy of the restaurant manager.

March 27, night: Racing against time and fearing Fellows might bolt again, Morrison arrives in Arvada, meets with the restaurant manager and shows him his badge and bail-bond paperwork.

The manager puts in a phone call to Megan’s sister and asks her to go outside without alerting Fellows. After learning what was happening, the sister agrees to let Morrison in and arrest Fellows.

“When I pulled out my badge, you could see his face drop,” Morrison said. “His shoulders kind of dropped, like he had no place to run, no place to hide, he was done.”

Well, not quite.

March 28, afternoon: Hundreds of miles later and barely 15 minutes from jail, Fellows makes his move and is on the lam again.

“You couldn’t print what I was thinking then,” Morrison said as he recalled the moment a few weeks later. “I was upset, but I was tired more than anything else.”

The agents still didn’t know how Fellows got the key to his handcuffs off Morrison’s key ring before the bathroom stop at the Burger King near Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard and Chkalov Drive.

At the time, they did know this: Fellows was gone, and they wanted him back.

“We went through back yards, hedges, fences, Dumpsters, everywhere within at least a 10-block radius,” said Thornton, who also helped out.

March 28, evening: Two hours later, with darkness approaching, “we figured out a scam,” Thornton said.

They enlist the help of a young woman to call Boyle, Fellows’ mother, and pose as Megan. She pretends to be worried, and says she wants to speak with her boyfriend.

Boyle tells her Fellows had just called, saying he’d escaped and needed his mother to break into Morrison’s Camry and retrieve Fellows’ laptop.

On a second call, Boyle gives the fake Megan the phone number Fellows had called her from. It came back to a pizza joint a couple of miles north.

Driving quickly to the restaurant, Thornton spots Fellows “nonchalantly walking out.”

Thornton, beefy and 6-foot-2, isn’t carrying handcuffs, but he tackles Fellows anyway and holds on as he struggles.

An elderly couple ask if they can help, and Thornton asks them to call Morrison’s cell phone.

Minutes later, Morrison arrives with the handcuffs and it’s over.

March 28, night: Moaning with fatigue, Morrison walks to the Clark County Jail with Thornton and they deliver Fellows into official custody.

But the surprises aren’t over.

During a search of Fellows during booking, a custody officer says, “You want to see something scary?”

He shows them the handcuff key.

A pause to reflect

The agents say their expenses, in gas, food and pricey online services, cost about $2,000.

How much will Morrison make for the job? That remains to be seen, he said.

Typically, the agents said, they’re hunting five or six people at a given time. About 10 percent of the folks they bail out fail to make their court appearance, and they catch all but a few.

While Morrison carries a concealed .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol, the last time he had to pull it out was several years ago, when a man threatened to bash his head in with a piece of lumber.

“I could probably count on one hand the times I’ve used physical force,” he said.

At 38, he says he’s getting too old for this type of stuff. But you can tell he sometimes enjoys his often grueling job.

“It has its moments,” he said.

Thornton, 35, is more enthusiastic.

“It’s a kick in the pants,” he said. “It’s the thrill. The money’s just a bonus. We just put our nose to the pavement. You have to think like (the bail jumper) in a way.”

Police in Dillon and Arvada, meanwhile, said they’re investigating allegations about Fellows’ deeds there and plan to seek warrants for his arrest. On April 7, deputy prosecutors in Clark County obtained a warrant for Fellows’ arrest, charging that he failed to register as a sex offender.

Fellows wasn’t in the Clark County Jail on Friday and his whereabouts are unknown.

A mother’s view

Boyle told The Columbian she has another opinion of her son’s capture by the agents.

She says the agents went too far when they posted wanted fliers in her neighborhood, with her son’s photos, telling everyone he’s a sex offender.

The relationship was consensual, and the girl claimed to be older than she was, she said.

Boyle said she arrived home one night and the agents appeared suddenly at her car window, flashing badges.

“It scared me,” she said. “It was like, ‘What?’ I didn’t know who they were.”

And she feels the agents went too far in the way they reminded her she’d signed that deed of trust to her home, to bail Fellows out of jail.

“They told me that one night that I would be on the street within a week. They didn’t have to be that drastic to me,” she said.

And she defended her son, who declined to speak to The Columbian on advice of an attorney.

“I have good kids,” she said. “He’s trying to start over.”