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| Bail bondsman gets wrong guy; charged with kidnapping |
| 2003-09-10 |
| Tacoma, WA - A bail bond agent who thought he was recapturing a dangerous bail jumper was jailed after seizing the wrong man at gunpoint in a drive-through line. The agent pointed a shotgun at a woman driving a car with a baby in the back, ordered a male passenger out of the car and handcuffed him Monday afternoon at a Starbucks, police spokesman Jim Mattheis said. Believing he had caught a desperado who could be armed and dangerous, the agent drove away with the man as onlookers called 911. "They thought it was a kidnapping that took place in the parking lot," Mattheis said. One man followed the bond agent until officers caught up with his car. Fingerprints showed the man in handcuffs "was not the bad guy, which he’d said all along," Mattheis said. The bond agent was jailed for investigation of kidnapping and assault. Anyone here have some experience or insights on how these bondsmen and bounty jumpers can operate? Stuff like this--and that home invasion a couple years ago in Phoenix that was a burglary disguised as a bounty hunter raid--raise some serious concerns about how they can operate in such a quasi-legal role. If some bounty hunter mistook me for a felon, I would fight back any way possible thinking it was a ruse for a kidnapping or worse. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #6 Thank you, gentlemen! I appreciate hearing from those more "in the know" than I am. If they catch tens of thousands of skips with active warrants every year, then there's bound to be a small percentage of "whoops!" as well. I'd just like to be sure the system is not being abused. God knows if I am carrying and some guy tries to abduct me with a shotgun, I would look for every opportunity to blow his head off and escape--honest mistake or no. Let the cops sort it out. |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-9-10 10:29:42 PM |
| #5 They catch tens of thousands of skips every year. How many of these stories have you read? As SH correctly points out, they usually coordinate with the police... this guy thought he had identified a skip and took the shot because he figured (in a drive thru, I guess) that he'd otherwise get away. Again, SH is spot on: this works a whole lot better than the rare as hell sensational press story indicates. I've done some time as a repo man and called in the bounty hunters more than once - felons who've jumped bail think little of not making car payments - doh! What amazed me was that anyone would give em' a car loan!!?!?! |
| Posted by: .com (a.k.a. Abu This!) 2003-9-10 9:38:19 PM |
| #4 The bondsman can try to recover the skip themselves and save on the bounty. Usually the bondsman or bouty hunter will explain to the police what is going on before trying to apprehend the skip. The system apparently works well in some states and horribly in others. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-10 4:44:58 PM |
| #3 "They thought it was a kidnapping that took place in the parking lot" They were right. |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-9-10 3:21:59 PM |
| #2 The article made it sound like the bail bondsman himself tried to do the job, except that the word "agent" appears, which could mean an intermediary was used. A lot of times a bounty hunter is the one tasked with bringing in bail-jumpers. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-10 2:45:11 PM |
| #1 Regulations for bondsmen differ between states. The idea is that went a perp bonds out, he/she signs a contract allowing the bondsman to invade his/her place of residence should the perp skip. The bondsman then puts up the bond for the accused's release. If the perp slips the bond is forfeit unless, the accused surrenders or is turned in within a specified number of days (90 for example.) The bondsman either tries to apprehend the skip his/herself or farms out the work to a bounty hunter. Some states require that the bounty hunter be licenced; other states go with the old west shootem-up option. The system saves the state a large amount of cash as incarceration is a pricey proposition. I learned this from watching a one hour show on the Discovery Channel that featured Duane "Dog" Chapman before his 15 minutes of fame began. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-10 2:40:59 PM |