Bail Bond Agents/Bounty Hunters ?

A guy repossessing a pickup truck was shot and killed with a 30/30 in Texas a few years ago by the truck owner who was behind on payments. Texas has a law where if someone is stealing property after dark it is legal to shoot them. Apparently the guy repossessing the truck didn't identify himself, so the shooter didn't know he was not a thief and no charges were filed against the shooter.
 
I've done repos! They are fun!! If you have payments then you don't own the car and the owner (bank) has the right to get it back. You would be surprised how many people only have money for the down payment and nothing else.

In some states it's illegal to go on private property. I always took the cars from the parking lots or streets and usually at night.
 
The bounty hunter's authority to break into 3rd party residences is troublesome. While the bail jumper may have signed his rights away, the 3rd party didn't. Seems like a good way to get himself shot. What happens to the 3rd party if this happens?
 
I am suprised about the amount that are convicted felons, bikers, etc.

But, Mark Morris used to be one so that evens it out for me automtically: he is one of the coolest and classiest guys out there.

Remember that news story in the late 90's about the bounty hunters that entered a house in the middle of the night? They lit up either the fugitive or the fugitive and his associates that drew down on them. Or, it might have been the wrong house. Anyways, the media was un a uproar and said bounty hunters are opertating under a law that was enacted in the "wild west" (Taylor). They of of course forgot to mention that it is lawful and has been upheld.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like they have more leeway than LE does. However I would think their job more dangerous than LEO`s too. NO doubt pays a fraction as much without bennie`s. (Unless you do it for reality tv.)
 
wbraswell said:
The question I have is, what kind of person do you expect to go after bail jumping, possibly violent, trash. If the BHs violate someone's rights, the fugitive can take them to civil court.
Click to expand...

Again, the fugitive's "rights" begin and end at the courthouse steps. In most states, anything goes. Fortunately, bondsmen do a pretty good job of getting that point across initially, so bond jumpers tend to understand that when the bounty hunter shows up at the door, he's gonna leave walking or not.

If y'all in Texas are having a lot of bounty hunters get shot by folks for breaking in their houses, I's expect more stories to be out there....but they're not.

A repo man is NOT a bounty hunter. Sounds the same to a degree, but repo people don't get to grab that car no matter what. I also ran into a few repo folks in 35 years, especially when I was on graveyards. Nice folks too, but there were a few times when they had to leave the scene empty-handed.

All that said, I'd never want any of their jobs. Free reign to go after absconders is just not that interesting to me. I'm glad they're doing it so the cops don't have to. Also: who cares if bondsmen employ a couple ex-felons to pick up their runners? At least they're working instead of becoming repeat offenders. And who, besides an old street cop, knows more about a criminal's "habits" than another crook? :D
 
Last edited:
johngalt said:
The bounty hunter's authority to break into 3rd party residences is troublesome. While the bail jumper may have signed his rights away, the 3rd party didn't. Seems like a good way to get himself shot. What happens to the 3rd party if this happens?
Click to expand...

That is a good question and one that has come up before...Generally the third party can and is complicit in the absconding of the bonded person, but not always..Bond agents have been charged on occasions for such offenses. Generally they rather find the subject on the run not holed up..sadly like most things in life wants and is's can be few and far between..In my experience most third party subjects knew they were harboring and since they left the bond agent holding the bag, get little back up from the agent..The police usually know who was complicate and their reports generally support the bond agent....There certainly are exceptions as with any kind of case but generally those that are on the border of adding and abetting will eat cheese like a 500lb rat...So much for honor among thieves...We tried to be on good terms with the bondsmen, however once in awhile you got a wise butt that was to connected to the wanted subject and tried to play games....we usually had a way for them to see it our way......Remember they have a monetary interest in the subject, the police don't...If we didn't get a absconder right away we still got paid and got to go home.....A bond agent that forfeited a 20 grand bond had to write a lot of very good ones to make up the loss..They like the rest of us aren't angles.....In my opinion they are necessary for the backed up justice system to work....One thing to remember and think about...Most states now have speedy trial court rules or statutes requiring speedy trials for those incarcerated. Imagine if there was no bond and all perpetrators were in a lock up demanding a speedy trial.The justice system would grind to a halt.
 
CAJUNLAWYER said:
SO what is the mechanism for posting pre trial bail???
Click to expand...

Essentially Kentucky is a bail bondsman. You can have liens put on your property for the total or partial amount or use cash it seems.

Criminal/Traffic Division Bail Bond Information

Or I imagine you could do the same arrangement through I private party but they can't hunt you down like a bail bondsman in another state could. I like our system, not that I plan on using it. Of course, we could fix a lot of this by getting rid of laws that make things illegal that shouldn't be.
 
Last edited:
CAJUNLAWYER said:
SO what is the mechanism for posting pre trial bail???
Click to expand...
The local court is the agent. You post cash, surety, property, etc., with them.

Kentucky put the bail bondsmen out of business in the early-to-mid-1970's. One day the bondsmen were doing great business, the next day they were literally out of business.

I was researching a Poli Sci term paper with a couple of legislators when the law was introduced. I asked them why they would legislate someone out of business. They both replied that the bail bondsmen would have to find a new line of business. I still don't know what "line of business" they could have migrated to.

I believe you could always post bond directly with the court, even without a bondsman. The Commonwealth just eliminated the middle man.
 
Beware of any eastern European government agent signing for a surety bond for any body named Williams or /Williamson...common Gypsy name used it North America....They have more schemes than carter has pills..If they get into Canada forget getting them back. Unless it is a capitol crime....The cost out weigh the process to bring them back for prosecution .....We chased one of the matrons of the clan to Canada on a 100 thousand scheme......Almost impossible to retrieve them from Canada. To costly and to time consuming...We finally got her with the help of the Bond Agent who had made the bond for Romanian government officials,(A scheme and a good one to be sure) Canada has more than their share of the so called "travelers"and jail cost are very expensive to retrieve them and time consuming. If it hand not been for the bondsman we would not have been able to retrieve her for over a year, and would have had to pay her jail costs,(HIGH)
 
I'm pretty sure when you make bond you sign a paper with a lot of small print on it, giving the owner of the bond some rights to collect if you default. Signing the dotted line, you are giving them permission to pursue you. Ed
 
eveled said:
I'm pretty sure when you make bond you sign a paper with a lot of small print on it, giving the owner of the bond some rights to collect if you default. Signing the dotted line, you are giving them permission to pursue you. Ed
Click to expand...

In 2001 I awoke to some one pounding on my door. Garbed my remy and went to see who it could be. i Did not open the door and yelled through who is it and what do you want. All they said was "bail enforcement open up". I told them hell no. they hollered chris smith come out" i hollered there is no one here by that name. They said " come out now again i repeated hell no. they then kicked in my door. I hit the first guy with a bean bag round fell back to my bed room. and held the bead on the door. My wife dialed 911. while i prepared to let the slugs fly at who ever came through the door next. Seeing that my farther was the county sheriff it did not take long for officers to arrive. I never signed a bond for anyone. seems the bail bonds men could not determine the difference between the roads rivertrace and riverchase. the was no legal recourse i could take at the time all they had to do was stand in court and say they had reason to believe they were in the right place and i was the man they were looking for, they didn't even have to pay for my door. A month later i found myself being sued for medical expense. Bail bonds men have way to much grey area to work in. If my farther had not been sheriff, I hate to think what might have happened to me
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Y
Praise for TSA agents
Replies
11
Views
671
mtgianni
M
oldbrownhat
Florida paying bounty hunters to control its python population
2
Replies
23
Views
904
oldbrownhat
oldbrownhat
B
Multiple Secret Service Agents Placed on Leave
3 4 5
Replies
80
Views
2K
Beemerguy53
Beemerguy53
peyton
  • Locked
Virginia Hunter Killed By Falling Bear That Was Chased Up Tree By Fellow Hunters And
Replies
4
Views
555
Tom S.
Tom S.
DWalt
James Bond Fans
Replies
19
Views
1K
Kinman
Kinman

Latest posts

Back
Top