Getting out on bond can feel like a reprieve from the consequences of an arrest. Instead of sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial, a bail bond allows you to get back to your regular life. It can be a pretty good deal, and it can make it all the more difficult to want to return for a court hearing. After all, you’re free now, and what could be worse than the possibility of a court issued sentence?
The impulse to skip out on a bail bond is pretty understandable. However, the consequences for running out on bail can be very severe. If you or a loved one put up the money for your bail, that money is automatically forfeited to the court once you miss your scheduled appearance. The judge will issue a bench warrant for your arrest, meaning that any subsequent interactions with the police, even if you didn’t do anything wrong, will result in arrest. You can’t expect a judge to fall for the same thing twice, which means that you will be held pending trial, and may be liable for additional penalties for skipping bail. That’s a lot to risk if you have a misdemeanor bail bond in Angleton.
The situation becomes increasingly worse if you skip out on a bail posted through a bail bondsman.
Ordinarily, people turn to a bail bondsman if they lack adequate resources to pay bail. Under the bail contract, the bondsman agrees to put up the money for your bail if you agree to pay a small percentage and appear in court.
Failure to appear in court comes with the same bench warrant and potential penalties as the scenario depicted above, but there is more. When the court seizes the bail payment, it’s the bail bondsman who loses money. Most bail bondsmen don’t like that. As a means of recovering the lost bail money, the bail bondsman can sue you for repayment. Bear in mind that a lot of people who turn to bail bondsmen do so because they don’t have that kind of money on hand. Skipping bail can require you to repay the entire amount to the bail bondsman, which can land you in some serious debt.
Even worse, if the bail paid on your behalf was significant enough, a bail bondsman may hire a bounty hunter to bring you before the court. Bounty hunters are not the kind of people you want looking for you. They are often skilled at tracking down and apprehending bail jumpers, and will pursue you more vigorously than the police.
When you make a bail payment, either to the court or through a bail bondsman, you are making a legal promise to make your scheduled appearance. If you have a misdemeanor bail bond in Angleton, it is important to fulfill all of your legal and financial obligations. Otherwise, a single misdemeanor can quickly snowball on you, and even end in a manhunt.