Caregiver Suspected of Poisoning Elderly Patient Denied Bail

A caregiver of an elderly Florida lady was denied bail after allegedly stealing from then poisoning the 78-year-old woman in her care. A toxicology report showing ten times the prescribed amount of painkillers in the victim's body confirmed that she had not died of natural causes, like the caregiver claimed.

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Bail Agents Fight Back Against Pre-Trial Release

The bail-bond industry sent a glossy four-page flier to 50,000 mailboxes this month, warning Orange County taxpayers that elected officials are allowing drunken drivers, drug dealers and violent criminals out of jail by using a costly but flawed pretrial-release program.

That flier, urging residents to tell commissioners to end the "wasteful" program, lists people arrested and released for crimes ranging from drug possession and child neglect to concealing a firearm and lewd behavior. But various judicial and county officials say themaileris misleading on a number of fronts and leaves out a crucial fact: All the arrested people cited in the mailer could bail out of jail and be on the street — even if the release program was not in place.

What the mailer really shows, county officials say, is a struggling bail-bond industry that fears the spread of successful pretrial-release programs nationwide could cost them serious business.

"Our interest is public safety," said Michael Tidwell, Orange's jail chief. "The interest of the bail-bond industry is their livelihood; it's their profit margin."

The mailer prompted County Mayor Rich Crotty to hastily include a public briefing about it for commissioners on today's regular meeting agenda.

The fight centers around certain minimal-risk jail inmates who are offered a low-cost release from jail while awaiting a court hearing.


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No Bail for "Dangerous" Cigarette Dealer

A New York store owner selling untaxed cigarettes on the black market has been denied bail by Judge Denis Hurley. Hurley claims that the store owner is "dangerous," despite being acquitted of arson, murder and other charges.

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Inmate population surges as bail bond debate swirles

Changes in the amount of bail that offenders must post to get out of jail have sparked a controversy among county officials and residents.

Bibb County Sheriff Jerry Modena says the county jail is near capacity and that the county risks being placed under federal oversight and ordered to build a new jail wing if the inmate population doesn’t decrease.

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10 Great Cars for 10 Different Jobs

Job: Bounty hunter
Do you think of Labor Day more as the ceremonial end of summer or the official beginning of football season? As the start of yet another school year or just a welcome three-day weekend? Well, the U.S. Department of Labor sees it as a "yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." So, in the spirit of putting some of the labor back into Labor Day, we put together a list of 10 cars for 10 jobs.

Car: 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
Whether the chase takes you over rocks, across a desert or just up and down a few curbs, the all-new 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor's standout suspension will help you get your man (or woman). The menacing looks won't hurt, either.

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CT Insurance Commissioner Cracks Down on Bail Bond Agents

State Insurance Commissioner Thomas Sullivan is cracking down on improper business practices by the surety bail bond industry in Connecticut, which includes agents discounting bond premiums in order to gain business.

That allows defendants to get out of jail for a reduced price.

Recent enforcement actions against surety bail bond agents have resulted in two license revocations, two license suspensions, one year-long probation, and fines totaling $7,500, the state insurance department said.

"There is no reason why this industry can't operate within the letter of the law," Sullivan said in a written statement.

Surety bail bond agents are regulated by the insurance department because they are appointed agents of an insurance company. The department licenses 516 surety bail bond agents, 136 bail bond agencies, and 19 surety companies in the state.

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$33 Million Dollar Bail Bond Set for New York Doctor Accused of Sexually Abusing Patients

An allegedly phony Brooklyn doctor accused of sexually abusing patients while they were under anesthesia has the dubious distinction of having the highest bail in the land: either $11 million cash or a virtually impossible $33 million bail bond.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Sorodsky, 62, was practicing without a license since at least 1995, administering "treatments" out of his Emmons Avenue office in Sheepshead Bay that may have been harmful, and sexually abusing at least eight female patients.

Then, last month, prosecutors, having found additional victims, brought a new slew of charges and opened a separate case.

No exact records exist, but several experts say Michail Sorodsky's bond is the highest they have ever heard of.

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Judge Rules Anthony's Bail Agents Can Testify

A Florida judge has denied attorney Jose Baez’s, Casey Anthony’s defense lawyer, motion to seal interviews of Bounty Hunter, Leonard Padilla and his team. Hours of audio taped interviews as they talk about what they heard and saw from Casey Anthony during the time they spent with her after Padilla had he bailed out of jail.

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Bailbondsmen Interviewed in Casey Anthony Trial

What was Casey Anthony like when she was out of jail last summer?Self-absorbed was the impression left by a WESH-Channel 2 report tonight. The station offered a "Today" interview with bail bondsman Tony Padilla, whose uncle is bounty hunter Leonard Padilla.

Padilla's team "spent nine days guarding Casey and their $500,000 investment," WESH's Bob Kealing said. "Their testimony could help the state argue that Casey was already emotionally detached from her still-missing daughter."

Anthony is charged with the first-degree murder of her daughter, Caylee. 

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Jail Bail Scam

On August 17, 2009, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a fraud report at Camp Verde Detention Center jail lobby. Deputies met with the employee of a restaurant in Cottonwood regarding the incident.

The employee explained she received a phone call at work from a person claiming he was an “Officer of the Court.” He told her there was someone in jail she knew but he could only release the name of the employee if she identified the person first. She thought briefly and mentioned the name of an employee not currently at work. The man told her she was correct and claimed this person was in-custody for a DUI. She was also told that the arrestee had enough money for bail, but Arizona law did not permit arrestees to bail themselves out. The “Court Officer” requested the employee to post a bond and the arrestee would pay her back upon release

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Catholic Diocese Bails Out Priest; Archdiocese Does Not Approve

An Australian priest was arrested on charges of grooming a child for sex after sexually explicit online chats with a police officer posing as a 13 year old girl. The bishop of the Western Sydney diocese, Father Terry Bell, offered $25,000 towards Robert Fuller's bail, as well as offering accommodation at a church-owned property.

Despite Father Bell's offer, the Archdiocese of Sydney has released a statement stating that Father Fuller is responsible for his own legal costs. "The Archdiocese does not contribute to these costs or provide sureties for bail, and Father Fuller's case is no exception," the Archdiocese said.

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Bail Bondsmen Accused of Thugish Behavior

Bail bondsmen dressed in "police SWAT gear" terrorized patrons of a swinger's club by holding them at gunpoint while they beat a man they thought had skipped bail, then threatened a newspaper editor who wrote about it, four people and the business claim in Clark County Court.

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Bounty Hunters Are Not Above the Law

Two Mississippi bounty hunters blamed for a awakening a Sikeston couple in the middle of the night pleaded not guilty to felony charges against them in a Scott County court Wednesday.

Investigators say they were operating without a Missouri license.

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Lawyer Has Tantrum After Client's Bail Not Lowered

A defense lawyer went ballistic at the Criminal Justice Center yesterday after a judge initially refused to lower his client's bail or change his sentence in a contempt case.

According to observers, the attorney, Adam J. Rodgers, threw a pen and his leather bag, pushed or hurled a chair, and raised a chair over his head, then slammed it down.

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One judge's thoughts on setting bonds - TX

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Bail Jumper Jumps Out of 3-Story Window to Escape Police

A robbery suspect who eluded police by jumping bail managed to escape again by jumping — this time from a third-floor hospital window and running three blocks on a broken ankle before being recaptured.

Damien Bell, suspected by police to be the Craigslist robber, had been arrested about 6:30 p.m. Sunday and was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland for injuries suffered during the arrest and for shrapnel in his arm stemming from a May 5 struggle over a gun during a robbery, police said.

After being taken to an X-ray room, he bolted and ran, police said. Bell then jumped from a third-floor window and broke his ankle, but kept running for three blocks until police captured him, officials said.

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Peterson Held on $20 Million Bail

Peterson, an ex-cop, became a target of police scrutiny after the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. He was arrested yesterday after a lengthy police investigation. He is being held in the Will County, Ill., jail on $20 million bond.

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British Banker Released on Record High Bail of 100 Million Euros

Julius Meinl V, the head of Austria’s largest private bank, was detained over an alleged fraud and released, without charge, only after a world record bail of €100 million (£90 million) was paid.

He spent two nights in a cell after police raided his home and offices in Vienna following the collapse in value of Meinl European Land, an investment fund managed by his Meinl Bank.

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Wesley Snipes Might Have Bail Revoked

Wesley Snipes happily posed for photographers as he mingled with guests including the Duchess of York and Sir Richard Branson at the “party of the decade”.

But four months later the pictures have come back to haunt the Hollywood actor, as American prosecutors claim they are evidence he breached the terms of an international travel ban.

They are now seeking to revoke his bail, and want to prevent the actor travelling abroad ahead of his appeal against a three-year jail sentence for tax evasion.

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Bondsman Arrested for Kicking in Wrong Door

Police say a bail bondsman in Colorado Springs kicked in the wrong door looking for two suspects.

It happened at the Pinion Apartments on the east side of the Springs; police were called after the door was kicked in. Allegedly, the bondsman, Larry Myles, an agent with It's A Bond Thing, entered the apartment to arrest two people.

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