Can they /really/ issue a warrant?

Question

If you bail someone out of jail through a bondsman and they don't show up in court, can the bondsman really put a warrant out for your arrest?

Answer 1

If someone is out on bail and fails to appear:

The JUDGE will issue a warrant for failure to appear. The person charged and on bail will have a warrant out for their arrest. If caught, they will likely go to jail and not be able to get bail. I suppose the quicker the person turns themselves in (doesn't have to be chased down) and has a good excuse, the more understanding the court will be - maybe they won't forfeit bail if the judge sees a real attempt to make an appearance - it's up to the judge. The flat tire excuse won't work if they catch you a month later...

The bondsman has nothing to do with the court and arrest warrant. The bondsman put out, let's say, $10,000 for bail. If someone does not appear, that money is forfeit - the government takes it. Now, he wants his money back. Likely, it was a friend of the defendant who promised to pay back the $10,000 if necessary. If you're that friend, there's no warrant, they aren't going to arrest you, but the bondsman will want his money out of you.

If you don't (can't) pay up, he'll get a court summons for you ("please show up", not "under arrest") for civil court, suing you for the money. If you don't show up to argue against it, he'll get a default judgement, if you do, he'll probably win. Once he gets that judgement (you signed the contract! You promised you would pay!) he'll go after whatever you own, or any specific property you pledged, and garnishee any wages, until he's paid in full, including expenses.

Meanwhile, once someone is a fugitive, there's probably some sort of reward for their capture in some jurisdictions, maybe financed by the bail bond the government took. This is where bail bondsmen/bounty hunters come in - the bondsman has a chance to get some of his money back through a little legwork and baseball-bat-work.

In the 1970's, Meyer Lanskey was a financier involved in shady deals in Toronto and Florida. He was charged, and his parents put up their house as bail - several hundred thousand dollars. He skipped bail and disappeared; he was caught several months later in Spain. The government came and took away his parents' house; they were left with nothing, because he skipped bail. Just because they caught him again, doesn't mean they give the bail money back. So, be careful who you put your finances on the line for...

Answer 2

If you're the person that secured the bond then you are financially responsible for the amount of the bond. The bondsman can't issue any arrest warrants, only a judge can. And the judge will issue the warrant for the person that skipped out. All you're responsible for, if you signed the bond, is the value of the bond to the bonding agency. They in turn owe it to the court that issued the bail.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

There already is a warrant for your arrest, issued by the judge.

However, if the fugitive is returned to court, the judge would probably return the bail amount to the bondsman, and not allow the prisoner to be out on bond again.

Answer 5

I believe the bondsman isn't the one who puts out the warrant. The judge in the court that you missed will issue a warrant for Failure to Appear.

Answer 6

actually they don't need a warrant, all they need is the bail paperwork ( normally the court issues a warrant for failure to appear) but the paperwork signed to get out on bail gives the bounty hunter alot more rights and take away most of the rights of the person on bail. the bounty hunter can basicly get them stick them in the trunk and cross state lines without any hearings and bring them back, just on the bail being revolked

But yes if they don't show up for court, they can only help the police get them on the warrant,
Most bounty hunters are not nice like "Dog" on TV and with the bounty hunter there is no "miranda rights" and the such, that was all signed away by the bail paperwork

Answer 7

From what I understand, the bondsman can hire a bounty hunter, to get the person that missed their court date. As for the issuing warrants, only a judge can do that.

Answer 8

They can put out a warrant for the person your bailed out, yes.... Let me rephrase. They WILL issue a warrant for your arrest if you are bailed our of jail and then do not show up for court.

Then you have you original charges, and a failure to appear charge. It's never a good idea.

Answer 9

Not sure on your arrest, however you now owe the bondsman. So think twice before you bond someone out.

Answer 10

extremely? What are uk officers asserting? "Israel's ambassador to London, Ron Prosor, conferred with officers interior the British Ministry of Justice who advised him that they have got been blind to any criminal complaint or arrest warrant against the former distant places minister." And Livni? "Livni's place of work mentioned in a assertion following the checklist that her visual allure on the London adventure become canceled 2 weeks in the past via a scheduling conflict." Who introduced this difficulty up, then? "opposition chief Tzipi Livni on Monday canceled her participation in a Jewish functionality in London, after a warrant for her arrest become issued over section in final iciness's Israel's Gaza offensive, Arab-language media have reported. " ok, first, there's a time discrepancy between the Arab source and Livni's place of work on while she cancelled her participation. 2d, what place did Livni extremely have interior the operation? finally, the source is Al-Quds Al-Arabi, which i think of would have the chutzpah to print any such slanderous tale. no person else claims that Livni has a warrant against her. I only desire Haaretz did a extra perfect activity of highlighting Al-Quds Al-Arabi's idiotic claims.