Man Released From Jail Arrested Again in Jail Parking Lot

A Port Charlotte man was released from its County Jail at 6:30 a.m. this morning and arrested a short time later after he was caught burglarizing a vehicle and "carhopping" in the jail and adjacent Public Safety Building parking lots.

28-year-old Bryan David Dudenhefer was first arrested Wednesday shortly after 10:00 p.m. and charged with Burglary, and Possession of Burglary Tools for breaking into the Army-Navy Fashion Store in Port Charlotte at 3811 Tamiami Trail. Deputies found him outside the store next to a broken window. They found a bag with a brick inside the window and a search of Dedenhefer located a 3/8-inch ratchet socket wrench in his pocket and broken glass in his shoes. Inside the store they found a 3/8-inch socket for the wrench.

After posting bond this morning, Dedenhefer was observed by a Corrections Deputy checking car doors in the jail parking lot and appeared trying to locate an unlocked vehicle. The deputy contacted another deputy in the jail and when they came out they saw Dedenhefer get into a Ford F-150 pickup truck in the parking lot next to the jail. The deputies told Dedenhefer to get out of the truck but he refused several times; deputies then physically removed him.

Felon Flees, Leaves Family In Bind

James Sanford and his lawyer were outside the St. Clair County Courthouse in Port Huron when they were notified a jury had reached a verdict on drug and weapons charges Sanford faced.

Sanford and Mike West, the lawyer, took an elevator up to the courthouse's third floor. When they got out, Sanford told West he had to use the restroom.

West said he told Sanford to inform court officials, which he did, and he was granted permission to visit the restroom. Then he left for the bathroom.

"That is pretty much the last we saw of him," West said.

The jury found Sanford guilty of six charges -- including manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance and possessing a firearm while committing a felony. But no one can find Sanford.

"He just plain walked out of the court like nobody saw him walk out," Wayne Lepiors, Sanford's brother-in-law, said about the Sept. 26 incident.

Fake Bounty Hunters Claim to Have Been Duped

Three of the wannabe bounty hunters who allegedly stormed a home for the elderly looking for a fugitive said on Friday that they had been duped by the ringleaders of their outfit.

The five-person fugitive recovery agency, Wargod Inc., operated illegally — without certification by a court system or being employed by a bail bondsman — according to police.

Professional bondsmen, who post bail for defendants, must obtain their licenses from the state Insurance Department and register with their local district attorney. They also must maintain a phone number and operate an office in each county in which they work, according to Insurance Department regulations.

Wargod's alleged leaders, Lawrence Colon, 39, and Kelly Hefferon, 40, whose home on Route 715 in Jackson Township was the outfit's base of operations, purportedly convinced the rest of their team members — and one of their parents — that the firm was legitimate.

"They even told me they had all those papers from the court and the state," Lucienne Normil, mother of Wargod member Darryl Normil, 21, said Friday outside District Judge Debby York's office.

"Those three are innocent," she said, referring to her son and to Anthony Laino and James Farrell, both 35.

Normil waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He faces charges that he impersonated a public servant, which is a misdemeanor, and summary charges for improperly using emergency lights and signals on his Ford Focus. His bail was reduced from $100,000 to $10,000.

He also stands accused of a felony charge for possessing a firearm. Already convicted of a felony, he is barred from having weapons.

Normil had previously been sentenced to a year's probation for theft and receiving stolen property. About six months later, he pleaded guilty to using another person's credit card without authorization.

Wargod initially attracted police attention after Hefferon's neighbors complained repeatedly about shots being fired in her back yard and sirens sounding until after midnight.

The Simpsons Take on the Bail Industry

For its 20th season premiere, The Simpsons takes aim at all the big targets: bounty hunting, the IRA, and erotic baking. These topics don’t make much sense together, but that’s not the point. The Simpsons has become a shaggy, genial grab-bag of parodies. The incoherence is part of the fun.

Our main storyline finds Homer and Ned teaming up as bounty hunters, a plot that allows them to explore their opposites-attracting friendship. Homer gets arrested for fighting at Springfield’s St. Patrick’s Day parade—an event that turns into a riot because it is alcohol-free.

The episode uses the occasion to skewer Irish stereotypes. There’s a “Small Irish Family” float with tons of kids and two tired parents on it, a “Straight Catholic Priests” float featuring only two priests, a float of the boy who looks most like a potato, a paddy wagon, and a Catholic versus Protestant smack-down involving warring leprechauns (not to mention the Hulk and the Thing). The best moment comes in Lisa’s explanation to Bart that “It always comes down to transubstantiation versus consubstantiation.”

Amid all the “folk dancing where you don’t move your arms,” Homer joins in the brawling by impetuously kicking both the Hulk and the Thing. He has make a $25,000 bail (this isn’t is first arrest) and so turns to the seedy world of bail bondsmen, specifically Lucky Jim (voiced by Joe Mantegna).

You guessed it: the episode here takes on Dog the Bounty Hunter. Homer learns from the menacing “Wolf,” a dead ringer for the A&E reality star, that there are really no requirements for being a bounty hunter. An ordinary citizen chases people he has no business chasing, claims the right to arrest them, and gets paid, to boot. Wolf reveals that the on-line course that was once required has been dropped. Now you only have to pay a $10 licensing fee to get in on the action. He also explains his jewelry. His necklace looks to be made of teeth, but they’re really just the molds he makes of teeth belonging to captured bail jumpers.

While he can’t match that wardrobe, Homer does decide to become a bounty hunter and places himself in immediate danger when he tries to corner bail jumper Snake and his pregnant girlfriend (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and ends up on the wrong end of Snake’s gun. No surprise, he runs into more trouble when he goes into the bounty hunter business with Ned Flanders, leading to Homer’s experimentation with tasers and Ned’s warbling of Christian covers of ACDC songs during their stakeouts ("Kindly deeds and they’re done for free!").

As they bicker like an old married couple, Homer playing burly bad cop and Ned the good, Homer declares that together, they make “the perfect bounty hunter.” When at last Homer is forced to jump bail himself, an elaborate action sequence gleefully parodies an array of 2008’s summer blockbusters, most memorably The Dark Knight and Wanted.

While Homer is learning how much he really does care for Flanders (and tasers), he also comes to care more about Marge. Always on the look-out for self-fulfillment opportunities, she meets a handsome Irish baker at the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Patrick Farrelly (Robert Forster) wears green, has floppy dark hair and blue eyes, and seduces Marge with his Irish brogue. Having saved her from a band of Irish street urchins after her cupcakes, he convinces her to come bake for him at “Au Naturel.” She is, in a word, the new star artiste for an erotic bakery, inciting Homer’s realization what those “extra long twinkies” really are.

On The Simpsons, anything can inspire wicked wit, and the additive nature of the proceedings makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. As always, parsing the non-stop pop culture references is wonderful fun.

Armed Robbery Stopped By Quick Thinking Bondsman

Two men armed with a handgun storm their way into a bail bonds office and a worker fights them off single handedly.

The attempted robbery took place on September 25 in the early morning hours at Goodfellas Bail Bonds on Main Street and Bonneville. News 3's Dan Ball spoke with the man who fought off the two crooks.

Dale Hazel is a former cop from Texas. He works the graveyard shift as a bail bondsman. On September 25, the doorbell rang at around 4:30 a.m.

"I saw a mask, then I saw the weapon, so tried to grab the weapon," recalls Dale. " I didn't really get a hold of it - I kind of wrestled with the dude - spun around. He pulled the gun on me. I had it up against the wall."

Dale grabbed the first suspect holding the gun and as the second suspect entered, Dale somehow amazingly forced both of them back outside.

"You find out about yourself in times like that, you know," says Dale. "You have a fight-or-flight response to things. Turns out my response is to fight. So I was thinking, lets take it to the street and try and get some help...and hopefully I don't get shot in the process."

Once the two men took off from Goodfellas, Dale grabbed his handgun, jumped in his car, and took off after them. Within seconds, he was pulled over by Metro Police.

Once Dale worked out the situation with Metro, they began looking for the two armed men and caught one of them on Bonneville and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Police arrested Devion Austin, who has been in trouble with the law before. In fact, Dale's boss, Gina Caruso, says they've bailed Devion out of jail in the past.

"He had a balance due," says Gina. "I guess he came to rob it from us so he could pay it."

While police continue looking for the other wiseguy who tried to rob Dale, this Goodfella says he'll never forget about it.

"I was really happy to go home to my family that night - that's the truth. I was really happy to see my kids."

Bail Phone Scam

It's a money scam we told you about last week, but since then more local businesses have fallen prey to the scammers pretending to be bail bondsmen.

Officials tell us the suspects are difficult to trace since they mainly work through the telephone. There was a breakthrough today.

This Panama City beach bakery manager says she didn't think twice when asked to help one of her employee's out of jail. Now Misty Reyes is short $500, intended for a good deed.

Misty Reyes, the Bakery Manager, says, "I'm glad that nothing happened to her and I'm glad that's all that happened cause it's just money and it's not worth somebody's safety."

Reyes says the detailed information they fed her over the phone was more than convincing.

Panama City Beach and Bay County officials say the common denominator between all these scams is they are all targeting restaurants everything from high class restaurants to mom and pops to even franchises.

Officials tell us phone scammers are usually difficult to trace. But the good news is Bay County investigators found this security video of a suspect entering a store to pick up a money order.

Pineapple Willy's fell prey to the same scam. A person claiming to be a bail bondsmen needing $500 to release their server from jail.

Eric Buskell, the owner of Pineapple Willy's, says, "We're more vulnerable than we thought we were so you improve your systems that's why when things like this happen you step up and look at it and how you can improve the systems."

Reyes says the incident's forcing her and the staff to be more careful about what they say and who they say it to.

Reyes adds, “It's a little bit scary it's a little bit creepy to know that someone knows this much about you and you have no idea who they are and why they know this much."

One of the restaurant managers we spoke to today is removing the last names off their employees name tags. If you have any information on the crime or recognize the suspect you are asked to call 785-TIPS.

Bondsmen Sue County and Sheriff

A local bail bonding company has received a ruling from the United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals allowing the plaintiffs to move forward with their federal lawsuit accusing Tunica County and Tunica County Sheriff KC Hamp of violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Owners of Hampton Company National Security LLC, James Hampton Gardner, and employee James Dean of Tunica filed a Section 1983 suit against Tunica County and Sheriff Hamp in 2006. The suits alleges violations of their constitutional rights under the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment and the First Amendments of the United States Constitution.

It was filed after owners and Dean claimed that Hamp removed their company name from the list of approved bail bondsmen, thereby taking their source of livelihood. According to court records, Hamp removed the plaintiffs from the list between February of 2005 through December of 2006. They claim their removal was caused by the sherifff’s retaliation “for Gardner and Dean’s participation in exposing illegal conduct by the prior sheriff, and for criticizing Hamp,” and that “the decision was racially motivated.”

Hamp argues that the Plaintiffs’ removal was because three criminal defendants they bonded failed to appear at a scheduled arraignment and that they did not follow proper procedure in obtaining a receipt from the Circuit Clerk proving those bond obligations had been met.

The case went before 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judges King, Higginbotham, and Southwick. In their ruling on Sept. 18, the trio gave the plaintiffs the right to proceed with the case.

“A surety company and two of its agents appeal from a summary judgment that dismissed their various Section 1983 claims,” the ruling states. “We affirm that part of the judgment that dismissed a Due Process claim against the sheriff who barred them from writing bail bonds in one county. Finding disputes of material fact, we reverse judgment on that same claim against the county, and on the First Amendment and Equal Protection claims against both the sheriff and the county based on the same events...”

The 5th Circuit Court ruled that of relevance is that the plaintiffs are white Caucasian and Sheriff Hamp is African-American.

In 2007, U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson dismissed the suit against the county and sheriff stating that the sheriff had suspended both black and white bondsmen at the same time for similar reasons. Plaintiffs disagree arguing that while both companies produced the required remedies for misconduct, only their company remained suspended after doing so.

In the September 2008 ruling, the Court of Appeals stated that while Hamp falls under “Qualified Immunity” on the Due Process claim in barring their writing of bonds in Tunica County, Tunica County does not noting.The sheriff’s decision to deny the plaintiffs the right to issue bonds was noted as “the kind of single decision by the relevant policymaker that can be the basis of liability.”

The Court of Appeals further ruled that they do not dispute that Hamp prohibited the Plaintiffs from writing bonds in Tunica County, but did state that in dispute were the “sheriff’s reasons”.

The court also ruled that on the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause claim were two components; the initial removal from the approved roster and the continued removal of the white bail bondsmen from the approved list while shortly after their removal, the black bail bondsmen were reinstated.

“There is no qualified immunity for racial discrimination as such discrimination is clearly unconstitutional. The County would also be liable if all the elements for municipal liability are shown. Consequently, we reverse judgment on the Equal Protection claim as to both defendants and remand,” the ruling states.

The final claim states that Hamp’s actions violated the plaintiffs’ first amendment rights . They allege that Hamp removed them from the list because they “assisted in the investigation of the predecessor sheriff regarding the extortion of bail-bonding companies, and because they sent a letter to the local newspaper editor expressing concern over Hamp’s handling of bail bondsmen and that an editorial was published only two months before the Plaintiffs were removed as approved bondsmen”. The Court of Appeals noted a prior case (Baldwin, 250 F.3d at 945) involving the Tunica County Sheriff that the Court of Appeals remanded to trial. In the cited case, the sheriff was found to have retaliated when bail bondsmen complained about how the sheriff handled bonds and ruled “the failure to reinstate the Plaintiff’s distinguishes the entire action by the sheriff against these plaintiffs from his entire action against the other bail bondsmen.” Summary judgement was not awarded in this matter.

During an interview with agent James Dean of Hampton Co National Surety LLC, Dean stated that he and owners have not yet been notified of the date their case will go to federal court. Facts discussed in this article were taken directly from court records posted online at www.ca5.uscourts.gov.

Bail Raised in Love Triangle Case

A judge has raised bail to $5 million for a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy accused of sexually assaulting his wife and torturing her lover after she threatened to leave him.

Robert Avery McClain, 34, of Irvine was charged in Orange County Superior Court with aggravated mayhem, torture and sodomy. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence.

Bail was increased Thursday from $1 million to $5 million. The judge also issued a protective custody order that bars McClain from contacting either of the two victims. He is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 17.

Prosecutors said McClain punched and kicked the couple on Sunday night after meeting them at the boyfriend's apartment complex. McClain is accused of cutting the man's face with a knife, forcing the couple to undress and ordered his wife to castrate her lover.

After she pretended to do so, McClain then allegedly sodomized her, chopped off her hair with the knife and brought her to their home. She escaped with their four children the next day.

The male victim was found early Monday by a cleaning crew and was hospitalized in a coma. He is expected to survive.

Fake Bounty Hunters Captured

Four wannabe bounty hunters were charged Wednesday with impersonating public servants after they failed to collar a fugitive but succeeded in infuriating their neighbors and terrifying the elderly.

The self-styled bounty hunters told police they worked for a fugitive recovery agency called Wargod Inc.

On Friday, according to police, five members of Wargod searched for what one of them said later was a fugitive wanted for armed robbery. They wore black military fatigues, assault vests with empty holsters, and badges as they walked the streets of Stroudsburg that night, prompting emergency calls from concerned citizens.

At first, they were seen standing in front of a bar on Main Street in Stroudsburg, flashing cans of mace and handcuffs.

Then at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, the manager of West Gate apartments — a home for the elderly — dialed 911. The same five people were running up and down the halls trying to get inside one of West Gate's apartments, police said.

Meanwhile, state police — unaware of what was happening West Gate — arrived at Wargod's home base, a house occupied by Kelly Hefferon, 40, on Route 715 in Jackson Township. They were responding to the latest in a series of bitter complaints from neighbors about shots fired in the back yard and sirens sounding until after midnight.

Neighbors also told a reporter that they occasionally had seen the Wargod staffers armed, clad in black and marching in formation up and down Jackson View Road.

State police found Hefferon's two children and a friend there Friday night. One of them, a 16-year-old boy, was wearing a badge and an empty nylon holster. He and his friend said they also were fugitive recovery agents.

Just then, the five Wargod staffers, returning from their hunt at the home for the elderly, pulled into the driveway in a silver Ford Expedition, with a pistol-grip shotgun in the front seat, slugs rattling in the drink holder, and a red light on the dash.

Bail Bondsman's Find Leads to Drug Arrest

A Bonita Springs man was arrested Wednesday on multiple drug charges after a bail bondsman who came to his residence to complete paperwork observed a large quantity of cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills.

Charles See, 30, of Sandy Hollow Lane, was arrested on charges of possessing cocaine, marijuana, prescription pills and opiate derivatives. He is being held at Lee County Jail without bond.

According to deputy Kenneth Ellis, bail bondsman Kevin Mchugh of Sunshine Bail Bonds arrived at the residence after scheduling to meet with See to discuss his paperwork status. As he peered through the apartment window, he saw See and another man inside. Mchugh said before he knocked, he saw See pouring a white powdery substance into a broken cigar.

Judge: No Bail Enough to Hold "Rockefeller"

Bail was completely eliminated today for con artist Clark Rockefeller, who faces deportation, a prosecutor promised, once the German man’s kidnapping case is completed.

Judge d. Lloyd MacDonald ruled today in Suffolk Superior Court that no amount of bail - even the $50 million cash limit previously set - or a GPS monitor can keep him from fleeing.

Rockefeller, in truth German national Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, 47, was ruled too high a risk today by the judge.

MacDonald said the defendant, in a “very ingenious capacity,” transformed himself “to maneuver his way around the country and the world through deception and the exercise of, obviously, powerful intelligence.”

The judge added it all adds up to a “defective life.”

Fugitive Investigator Acquitted of Manslaughter

A Callaway County jury has acquitted a fugitive apprehension agent in the fatal shooting of an unarmed parole jumper in Cape Girardeau.

Jurors reached the not-guilty verdict Tuesday in the involuntary manslaughter case against Steven R. Julian, 46, in the February death of Zachary Snyder. The trial took place in Callaway County on a change of venue.

Authorities say Julian went to an apartment complex to apprehend Snyder, who was wanted on a parole violation. He confronted Snyder, then shot him in the back after the suspect abruptly spun around. Julian testified that he could not see whether Snyder had a weapon in his left hand.

When the verdict was read, Julian's family members and co-workers breathed a sigh of relief with an audible gasp.

Across the aisle, Snyder's mother, Edith Snyder, sat in silence, a hand clasped to her mouth, eyes lowered, before hurrying out of the courtroom.

Fake Rockefeller Faces $50 Million Bail

A German citizen who calls himself Clark Rockefeller pleaded not guilty Monday to charges related to the kidnapping of his 7-year-old daughter off a Boston street in July.

Magistrate Gary Wilson set bail at a sum befitting a true Rockefeller — $50 million.

Investigators say "Rockefeller" is really Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, who has been living under fake identities since coming to the United States in 1978. He also has been identified as a "person of interest" in the 1985 disappearance of a California couple.

Gerhartsreiter pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court to charges he grabbed his daughter, Reigh, during a supervised visit, shoving away a court-appointed social worker, then fleeing in a hired car. He also was charged with lying to police about his identity.

The man and daughter were found Aug. 2 at a home in Baltimore. The girl has since returned to England, where she lives with her mother.

Gerhartsreiter has hinted he was a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family, but descendants of the oil tycoon said he is not a relative.

Gerhartsreiter's attorney, Stephen Hrones, conceded Monday that his client had lied about his roots. But he said there was no basis for the kidnapping charges because he contends his marriage to Reigh's mother was never valid, so no custody agreement could be, either.

Hrones said he would appeal the bail amount at a hearing Thursday.

Foreign Fugitives Delaying Justice

Two years ago today, a little girl in West Chester was left parentless. Her mom bled to death from stab wounds. Her dad, accused of being the killer, went on the run.

That sad scenario helps motivate Detective Lori Beiser to keep chipping away at a seemingly impossible task: finding a foreign fugitive who could be anywhere in the world, using virtually any name.

“I keep thinking about getting justice for the little girl – and for Jackelin,” Beiser said.

The girl’s mother, Jackelin Romero, 24, suffered more than 20 stab wounds on Sept. 23, 2006. She lay undiscovered while relatives, caring for her 5-year-old daughter, filed a missing-persons report. The next day, police found Romero dead in her bedroom at the Trails of West Chester apartments.

Romero’s husband, Melvin Ramon Mejia, a native of Honduras, fled as West Chester police were charging him with murder.

“He headed south – and he was gone,” Beiser said.

Local authorities say Mejia is among a rising number of fugitives who are believed to be hiding in foreign countries to dodge prosecution. The charges they face range from theft to rape to murder. Some are foreign-born suspects who return to their homelands. A few are U.S. citizens who reinvented their lives abroad under assumed names.

Most stand little chance of being captured.

Bondsman Arrested for Aggressive Behavior

A bail bondsman is on the other side of a jail cell this morning on burglary and kidnapping charges.

Pablo Alcalde owns the Real Bail Bonds company, and as bail bondsman, Alcalde is allowed to bring in those who skip bail.

Orem Police said on Sept. 4, Alcalde went to the home of a man related to a suspect who reportedly jumped bail. Alcalde handcuffed the suspect's relative and threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't help him find the alleged bail-jumper.

Alcalde then took the captive relative to another home, where he found the suspect's wife and forcibly put her in hand cuffs after she told him she didn't know where her husband was. Police say he searched the home without permission, and when he found nothing he forced the handcuffed woman into his car.

Officers say Alcalde drove the suspect's family members around looking the bail jumper, and when he had no luck, he released them on a street corner in American Fork.

Alcalde is currently in the Utah County Jail on $200,000 cash bail for investigation of kidnapping, burglary, assault, and a slew of other charges.

Bondsman Hit With Car While On The Job Speaks

Following a story we first brought you earlier this week, A bounty hunter speaks out after he says a fleeing suspect ran him over in a truck.

Jamie Mikel says he knows that there are risks involved every time he goes to work, but he also says that he's never had someone try to get away like the man who goes by the name Pork-Chop did on Sunday. EMS workers load bounty hunter Jamie Mikel into an ambulance Sunday afternoon. This comes after Mikel says this man, Dennis Ryals, better known as Pork-Chop, ran him over at a local gas station when Mikel tried to take him into custody.

"It always works in the movies it just didn't go my way that day," Mikel says with a chuckle.

But Mikel says his encounter with Pork-Chop was no laughing matter. He says the suspect tried to take off in his truck while Mikel held onto the steering wheel.

"They said that I hit the pumps with my head and bounced off and bounced into the rear of the truck and that's when they say it ran over me," Mikel says.

And Mikel's body has the bruises to prove it. He has two staples in his head, a broken hand, a number of cuts and bruises, and you can still see the tire marks on the shirt he wore that day.

"He didn't mean to hurt me, he was trying to escape, Pork-Chop didn't mean to hurt me, but he did mean to get away from me," Mikel says.

And that's why Mikel's friends and fellow bounty hunters hit the streets looking for Pork-Chop the next day. They climbed through windows and banged on doors. And eventually DID find Pork-Chop and take him into custody.

"It was just like a block had been lifted from my chest, I was just so amazed at how fast they got him," Mikel says.

And today Mikel sits on his couch, recovering with many of the same friends who helped place his alleged attacker behind bars.

"It makes me want to cry when I think of what they've done for me, they was there for me, they know that I would be there for them as well," Mikel says.

And it turns out that Mikel does not have insurance. His fellow bounty hunters have set up a fund where people can help him at the Ace Bonding Company in East Ridge.

Ace Bonding Company

4312 Ringgold Rd. Suite 6

East Ridge, Tennessee 37412

Ryals, or Pork-Chop, is being held at the jail on no bond and court records show that he now faces an aggravated assault charge after his run-in with Mikel.

Bounty Hunter In Anthony Case Questioned by FBI

Detectives from Orlando flew to Sacramento to talk to well known bounty hunter, Leonard Padilla. They believe Padilla may know something about the now infamous Casey Anthony case.

Bounty hunter Leonard Padilla was one of the few people to talk face to face with Casey Anthony after he helped bond her out of jail, which is why Orlando investigators flew all the way to California to speak to him.

Padilla says Casey told him a different story about where she last saw her little daughter Caylee.

Allegedly telling him she left the three-year-old with the nanny at Blanchard Park in East Orange County, which is a big change what she told investigators about leaving her with the nanny at an Orlando apartment complex.

"There was no truth in that, a new story on me," says Padilla.

Padilla says the 22-year-old mother kicked him out of the house after talking with him for ten minutes when Padilla didn't buy her story. Padilla eventually revoked her bond because he believes the child is dead and that she had something to do with her disappearance.

Padilla also believes murder charges are coming soon.

Jury Seeks 40 Year Prison Term for Bondsman's Murder

Bad timing cost James E. Carr seven years of freedom.

A Richmond jury recommended yesterday that Carr serve 40 years in prison for first-degree murder and felonious use of a firearm in the death of bail bondsman James W. Woolfolk III.

Minutes before the jury signaled that it had reached a decision on the sentence in its second day of deliberations, Carr's defense attorney and Richmond prosecutors had reached a plea agreement that would have given him 33 years in prison.

"I really have no reason to accept the plea agreement," Circuit Judge Beverly W. Snukals told the attorneys before calling in the jury to render its verdict.

Snukals will sentence Carr on Nov. 7, but members of Woolfolk's family left court yesterday satisfied with the jury's decision. The jury convicted Carr of first-degree murder on Tuesday.

"Though nothing will bring him back, this sure helps," said Theresa Godbold, niece of the 39-year-old bail bondsman, who was killed March 6 in South Richmond while trying to arrest Carr, 20, for skipping court on a felony drug charge.

James Woolfolk was the first bail bondsman killed in Virginia while on duty in recent memory. He was unarmed when he was shot three times from behind after finding Carr hiding in a bedroom closet at 2313 Joplin Ave.

"I shot him three times in the back. . . . I did a cowardly act," Carr confessed Tuesday evening during testimony on the sentencing.

Prosecutors said Carr had a simple reason for shooting Woolfolk: "He just did not want to go back to jail," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, who called the shooting "a cold-blooded execution."

Carr's stepfather, Michael Morris, testified that Woolfolk had turned his back and started toward the living room when he was shot. "He said, 'All right, Jimmy, you know what this is. Let's go.'" Woolfolk's mother, Theresa Woolfolk, said the family was satisfied with the recommended sentence. "We hope the best for James Carr and his family," she said.

Defense attorney Dean C. Marcus said Carr had shown remorse from the beginning for killing Woolfolk. "It's been eating him up," Marcus said after the jury rendered its recommendation.

But Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew P. Geary responded, "If Mr. Carr was truly remorseful for what he did, he would have spared his family and the victim's family the agony of trying this case."

Carr still faces charges in Richmond of illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, felony drug possession, and failure to appear in court -- the charge that brought Woolfolk to the house where he died. He also faces a charge that he violated his probation on a robbery charge in Henrico County, where he had a suspended sentence of 10 years.

Geary said his office is working with Henrico to revoke the suspension and reinstate the full sentence.

"Dog" Causing Controversy in Colorado

Family of the fugitive whom Duane “Dog” Chapman is chasing on the Front Range say the famous bounty hunter has repeatedly threatened them during the course of his investigation.

Chapman, however, said he and his posse, featured on the A&E television show “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” have done nothing out of the ordinary.

Tony Padilla, father of Mesa County fugitive Marco Padilla, said Chapman and his crew over the past two weeks have shown up at his Aurora home and threatened him.

“I don’t know what to do,” Padilla said. “I swear to God. This is scary.”

Tony Padilla said Chapman and company threatened him, swore at him and demanded as recently as Monday night that he say where Marco is staying.

“I don’t know where he’s staying,” Padilla said. “I don’t know his phone number. Marco has changed his number.”

Marco Padilla, 32, is wanted on a $150,000 failure-to-appear warrant after he failed to show up for sentencing in a 2007 drug case in Mesa County.

Chapman and his crew, according to a police report filed Tuesday, also have harassed Elizabeth Padilla, Marco’s sister in Aurora. Padilla, according to the report, allowed Chapman, his wife, Beth, and his crew to search her home in August. Their interactions took a turn for the worse, the report said, when Chapman and his wife tailed her Sept. 10 after she left a Wal-Mart

Bail Jumper: Derrick Davalos

Children in the community are at risk from an Amarillo suspect who could be selling drugs in your neighborhood.

Local bond agent, Shawn Galmor is concerned that a suspect who skipped his bail months ago is back on the streets with more drugs and the potential to hurt someone.

She is taking action action turning to the community for help looking for bail jumper Derrick Davalos. He's 22 years old 5'6 165 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Davalos is wanted for not showing up in court for drug possession charges. "It is very frustrating it's easier if they go to court it saves me time and money and saves them time and money," Galmor said.