Bail News Roundup - February 19, 2007
The staff at AboutBail.com has been busy looking at the week’s news and has come across a number of interesting and important news stories. The week was full of industry news and even some scandal:
New Orleans Newspapers Reporting on a Wave of Bail Business
Bail bondsmen and criminal attorneys have a busy week, thanks to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. According to bail professionals and attorneys, Carnival time in the Big Easy sees more tourists arrested – often for misdemeanours such as lewdness, public indecency, public drunkenness, and possession of marijuana – and fewer locals being arrested. Some attorneys and bail bondsmen actually leave town at this time of year, since tourists tend to pose a high flight risk, but those who stay report lots of business, according to New Orleans newspapers.
Hidalgo County Bail Computer Snafu Might Have Been an Inside Job
Last week, AboutBail.com reported that a computer glitch effectively shut down several bail businesses, after it was revealed that the computer problem may have allowed some bail professionals to inadvertently take on more business than they could cover. This week, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department is investigating claims that officers at the county’s detention center may have been responsible for fixing computer files. The allegations imply that officers may have been working with bail bondsmen; releasing detained people for bondsmen without deducting the bond from the bondsmen’s credit limits. An investigation is ongoing.
The Dog Still in the Doghouse
On Saturday, February 17th, 2007, the Associated Press reported that famous bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman is still hoping to avoid extradition to Mexico, even though the authorities have taken additional steps to ensure that Chapman faces court in Mexico. A court decision has already been made to extradite Chapman and two fellow bounty hunters to Mexico, although the television star hopes to appeal the decision. Chapman and his colleagues are being charged with the 2003 capture of Andrew Luster, who is both heir to the Max Factor fortune and a convicted rapist. In the capture of Luster, it is alleged that Chapman and his associates illegally arrested the convict.
A New Career Opportunity in Connecticut?
The Hartford Courant reported this past week that Sen. Louis DeLuca, R-Woodbury has introduced a bill which would allow civilians – including bounty hunters – to be appointed to serve warrants to deadbeat dads. Connecticut has such a backlog of outstanding warrants that state marshals simply cannot keep up. More than 3000 warrants had to be served in December 2006 alone and the backlog only means that children are not getting the financial support they need, according to authorities.
Newport News Arrest Goes Awry
A bail bondsman had to call for backup this past week in Newport News, VA. At about 10 pm on February 17, a bail bondsman called police after a man refused to comply with an arrest warrant. As the bail bondsman reported, the man was holding an object in his hand. He made a sudden movement, leading police officers to conclude that he was about to withdraw a weapon. One officer fired at the man and the man died on the scene. An investigation into the shooting has been started.
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