Local bail bond companies ponder when to assist

BARSTOW — Bail agent Gloria Darling once refused bail to a man accused of domestic violence because his victim asked her not to help him get out of jail.

When Darling gets a call from a potential customer at her business, Gloria Darling’s Bail Bonds, she sometimes finds herself confronted with an ethical question. Darling said she won’t bail out defendants accused of child abuse, or in some severe domestic violence cases. In some cases, she calls the victim before agreeing to bail out the alleged abuser.

“If (the answer) is negative, I just won’t do the bail,” she said. “... I’m from domestic violence, and I know — that’s just the way I am.”
In only one case a victim asked her not to bail a defendant out, she said. He may have found another bail bond company willing to work with him, but he spent a little more time in jail because Darling refused him.

Darling said she has never heard of another bail agent calling victims before agreeing to bail a defendant out of jail, but two other small local companies in Barstow said they do exercise caution about who they’re letting out of jail. Other bail bond companies in town, run by larger corporations based in other cities, do not look as critically at potential clients, as long as they are able to pay the fee.

Ronda Nasadil, a bail agent whose husband owns Ultimate Bail Bonds, said the company will generally take any non-felony crime, but would draw the line in some cases.

“In our case, we haven’t had any really serious ones,” she said. “We’ve never had one for murder, and I don’t think we would take it. Rape — being a family business, I don’t think we would take that.”

The majority of crimes that lead people to bail bond agencies are petty. Bail bond agents working in the Barstow area said drug crimes are the most common to come through their offices. They also mentioned frequent domestic violence, burglary, drunk in public and driving under the influence cases.

In the most severe crimes, like murder, a judge may order a defendant to be held without bail. But defendants accused of violent crimes do sometimes post bail.

Harris Bail Bonds owner Kathy Harris said she tries not to discriminate, but there are exceptions.

“I’m not the judge, I’m not the jury, so I try not to pass judgment,” she said. “When they come in for bail, they’re being charged for it, they haven’t been convicted.”

Still, there are a number of factors Harris weighs when deciding whether to take a client, including the crime and the co-signer who is willing to vouch that the defendant will show up in court. She said some charges would cause her to turn a potential customer away.

“Crimes against children, those are tough,” she said. “That’s a tough call as a mother and a grandmother.”

Diane Cavakis, a bail agent with Barstow Bail Bonds, owned by the Lancaster-based Absolute Bail Bonds, said her company does not discriminate based on the crime a potential customer is charged with.

“We pretty much do it all,” she said.

Likewise, bail agent Daniel Serrano with the national company Steven Mehr & Scott Mehr Bail Bonds, which works with clients in Barstow, said his company will take any one who can pay the 10 percent or put up collateral and make payments.

“As long as you’re eligible for bail and we can qualify you, we’ll give you bail,” he said.

According to the Barstow jail, 10 to 15 percent of inmates are released on bail. The rest are either released with a citation and given a day to appear in court, or stay behind bars through the court process.

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What does a bail bond company do?

A bail bond company helps people accused of crimes get out of jail. In some cases, when someone is facing criminal charges, a judge will set an amount of money to bail a person out of jail. The bail money is held as security to ensure that the defendant will show up at required court appearances. The bail money is returned at the end of the trial if the defendant appears at all of the hearings.

Defendants and families who cannot afford to post bail will sometimes turn to a bail bond company. Bail bond companies are licensed through the California Department of Insurance. By law, they charge clients a fee of 10 percent of the total bail amount. In some cases,

companies allow payment plans. They may also require collateral. In turn, the company posts an insurance bond assuring the court that the defendant will appear at his or her hearing. If the defendant fails to appear, the bail bond company has 180 days to bring the defendant back to court or prove he or she is dead or in jail elsewhere. Otherwise, the company is expected to pay the full bail amount.

San Bernardino County has a total of 150 licensed bail bond agents, of which six are in Barstow.

Source: California Bail Agents Association, California Department of Insurance