The Dangers of Jumping Bail

Once arrested and charged the accused are given the opportunity to return home to await their trial rather than sit in jail for days, weeks or months. The accused may be released on their own recognizance or, more likely, they will be required to make bail or post a bond in order to obtain their release. The bail system exists to help insure that, once released, the accused has sufficient motivation to appear in court to face the charges against them. If they do the bail money will be returned and everyone, from the accused to the person who acted as their indemnitor to the Arapahoe County bail bonds agent who posted the bond, can rest easy. However, an increasing number of individuals are jumping bail. That is, they are failing to appear in court at the agreed upon time. This is a dangerous and foolhardy practice and below we’ll explain why.

The Crime of Bail Jumping

At both the state and federal levels failing to appear in court at the agreed upon time after being bailed out is a distinct crime. Should a person decide to jump bail they risk the following repercussions:

• They will forfeit any bail money they paid themselves - When the accused puts up the money to bail themselves out of jail that money is eventually returned to them as long as they show up to face the charges against them. However, if they jump bail any bail money they put up is forfeited. Meaning the state keeps it all.
• The original criminal complaint will remain in place Some people jump bail hoping they can avoid facing the charges against them or that they can simply wait out the arrest warrant. The fact is, however, that the original charges remain in place and there is no expiration date on a bench warrant. Meaning they may be stopped for a traffic violation 20 years after jumping bail and still be arrested on the warrant that was issued in Arapahoe County 20 years before.
• The Arapahoe County bondsman will likely hire a bounty hunter to find them - If the accused or a loved one enlisted the help of an Arapahoe County bail bonds agent to post their bond that bondsman will attempt to find the accused if they do not appear in court. If the task of finding them seems like it could take some time the Arapahoe County bail bonds agent will likely enlist the services of a bounty hunter to track, locate and apprehend the fugitive.
• The indemnitor will suffer greatly If the accused relied on a loved one to arrange bail for them using an Arapahoe County bondsman that loved one becomes legally responsible for the accused (their “indemnitor”) while they are out on bond. If the person then jumps bail the indemnitor will likely lose whatever collateral they put up for the bond. The indemnitor will also be responsible for any costs incurred by the bondsman (including the cost of the bounty hunter) while in pursuit of the person who has jumped bail.

The Role of the Arapahoe County Bail Bonds Agent

In most cases people secure their release while awaiting trial by enlisting the help of a loved one who then contacts an Arapahoe County Bail Bond Agent . The Arapahoe County bondsman then gathers all the details of the case and if they decide the accused represents an acceptable risk they will agree to post a surety bond to secure that person’s freedom.

The surety bond is not issued however unless and until the loved one, or other person acting on behalf of the accused, has put up sufficient collateral and signed the bail bond contract. By signing the contract the loved one accepts responsibility for the accused after they are released. To use the legal term they become their “indemnitor”. And this is no small thing. Should the accused decide to jump bail it is the indemnitor who will likely suffer by having any items they put up as collateral seized by the court and transferred to the bondsman. This might be a house or a car or stocks and bonds or other items.

Will the Court Accept an Excuse for Not Appearing?

The court is not likely to accept any excuses unless the defendant can prove that their failure to appear was the result of something beyond their control - for instance, they were in a coma following a serious auto accident. Some defendants will try and blame alcoholism or drug addiction for their failure to appear. But in most cases the court won’t consider such an excuse. In fact, even if the accused was in jail in another jurisdiction it may not be considered a valid excuse for missing the appointed court date in Arapahoe County.

Do the Right Thing

There is no instance in which deliberately failing to appear to face charges can be excused away. The only legitimate excuse might be if a person were in the aforementioned coma. But even then they would have to provide proof. The best thing to do if you have been bailed out by an Arapahoe County Bail Bond Agent is to make sure you appear in court on the appointed date. This way you save yourself a boatload of additional problems and save your indemnitor from potential financial hardship as well.