Last Saturday, two County Police, in separate cars came to my house. Scared me to death, I thought my wife might have been in an accident.
It seems that some woman that my wife and I don’t know used our names and address for a ‘reference’ to get bonded out of jail. Then she skipped, jumped bail or whatever.
We live 100 miles from the town that this happened in and know no-one in that town.
It’s very weird. Shouldn’t the bonding agent had checked the references the person put on the bond? Wouldn’t the women that used our names have to have our names while she was in Jail? Meaning, she wouldn’t be able to surf the net and grab some names while she was in the clink.
Anyway, I invited the officers in, and let them look around. They thought that the woman may be staying with us. Maybe I shouldn’t have let them in, but we have nothing to hide. Still, it’s a bit weird.
I guess my question/s are -
Does the bond agent come to the jail?
Do they normally check references that the ‘bondee’ puts on the form?
Are new prisoners allowed access to the Internet. The only way I can think that she got our name was that she searched the assessor database where we live. Hell, we are pretty remote up here. We don’t even get mail delivery. My Mom and Brother probably don’t know our street address (they just know how to get here).
I don’t know a lot about it, but if you jump bail on a bail bondsman, you better find a damn good hiding place, you’re going to find out real soon you aren’t playing with the boy scouts.
Depending on your location, you can bond yourself out of jail. In Indiana they had a deal as people were using Visa to post their own bail, the jumping. Did you check your credit cards? What was the offense and how much for the bail? I once got a traffic ticket and my licence expired. I got an IBond. They don’t check. They told me “Oh we’re gonna throw you in Cook County.” I told them “you’re gonna look pretty stupid doing that, instead of Ibonding me.” They did it.
They could get your name from a phone book, or maybe someone you once worked with, especially if you got a name that is easy to spell and recall. They are not gonna check for a minor offense like running a red light or going 10 mph over the speed limit, it that was the problem.
.Real, real doubtful. We live a 100 miles away. Only our initials and last name are in the phone book.
We don’t have a common name, or address.
What’s real weird is how someone we have never heard of managed to pull our names out of a ‘hat’. And used them for a reference for bail and the bail company did not try to confirm that they knew us.
This person is wanted. Enough that 2 Sheriff Deputies where sent to our house looking for this person. And searched my house. 100 miles away from where the person was arrested.
I’m wondering if it maybe isn’t someone you do know, however remotely, that possibly offered up fake ID and therefore a name you don’t recognize. Just a thought. Or some kid who lived down the street from you 15 years ago who just happened to remember your names (it’s possible; I have amazing recall for names, numbers and addresses, even for people I barely know…)
Anything is possible, but I even doubt this scenerio. We are the only full time residents on our ‘street’. There is one other house (really a cabin). I’ve lived here for 11 years, and I didn’t even post my address numbers untill about 5 years ago.
I still wonder about the bonding/bail process. And if this person might have had access to a computer to come up with some names for references.
enipla - my brother-in-law is a bail bonds man. And the little quip from above that you are not dealing with the boy scouts is very true. I can answer much of your Q’s as I think the whole business is fascinating and I have drilled my BIL intensively. Bail bondsman do go to the jail on most occasions, but they do not have to. If the person skips bail on a bonds man…and is not found, the bonds man sues them or the person who co-signed for them. Usually when summoned the co-signer just pays up and goes away angry at their co-signee.
I find several things with your story very odd. One thing is make sure you were not added as the co-signer. This would be bad. I doubt you were as I believe the co-signer has to be present. What did the sherrifs deputies say about the person. Who was she, and what exactly were YOU on the bond…I really hope it wasn’t co-signer. Let me know if you have any more Q’s…
I believe the deputies said we where used as a reference. Both my wife and I.
It all took me by surprise.
My Wife and I are in the phone book. I wonder why the heck the bonding agent hasn’t called us?
The deputies either didn’t know much or where being pretty tight lipped about everything. From what I remember, they said she was pulled over for a traffic violation, and was taken in because she had two outstanding warrants. They did not know who the bonding agent was. Just that this all happend in a Colorado Springs.
Another odd thing, My wife was refered to as ‘Pat’, which she never, ever uses. So, someone along the way abbreviated her name.
Did you see any of the police’s allegations in writing? Or are they just “saying” all of these things? Sometimes the cops will get a “lead” and when they follow up on the lead they tend to exaggerate “what they know”.
enipla - sounds like they were looking for leads. Did they question you extensively? And it also sounds like you are just a reference and not a designated co-signer. That being said, I doubt the bondsman would call you. He or she is concerned about one thing. Getting paid. I bet the police closed the book on you as having any relation to the person in question. I wouldn’t worry extensively on it. It sounds like it was traumatic, but I bet the person got your name from a phone book, which they are allowed to look at.
When I started asking questions (what’s the outstanding warrants for?), they shuffled through some paper work but couldn’t come up with any answers.
No. They didn’t seem to be too concerned. But they did send two officers in two different cars. My friend in dispatch thought that was strange.
When those two patrol cars (actually Durango’s) pulled up, the only think I could think of was “My wife must have been in a serious accident”. That was the worst part.
Still kind of a long shot. We aren’t in the phone book in the city she was arrested. We are in a little itty bity book that covers a number of different towns in a different part of the state entirely. And we only use our first initials. Not our whole names.
So –
This person must know us somehow, but used a shortened version of my Wife’s name that no one else uses.
She somehow got a hold of something with our name and address on it.
The Deputies where fishing, playing a real long shot, looking for something else.
Well… if you have no clue who she is then she might well not know you personally, but she might have friend/acquaintenance/relative/SO who does know you, and in a fit of desperation to get her out of jail that person offered you up as a reference as one the few solid citizens they knew.
Think about someone you know or knew who’s “living on the edge” and would know you well enough to know your wife’s first name.
Actually, in thinking about it further, it might well be a “solid citizen” you know quite well, who was desperate to get this person bail and dumped your name in the list of references. Also think about flakey, emotional people you know as well.
Yeah. A third party. I’ve done some more research and the people that own the house at the end of our road live in the city the person was arrested in. They have driven down the road enough (maybe 4-5 times a year)that they might remember our address.
It would stun me that they would remember our names, I sure don’t remember theirs. The only time I have ever met them is when I jump start their car, pull them out of the snow when they get stuck, or get gas for them when they run out :rolleyes:. My wife has never met them.
It could be a lot of far out things. Perhaps they got a piece of your junk mail by mistake and kept it? Perhaps this person worked with you or your wife and obtained your names and address from work, or went through your belongings at work.
Then again, perhaps this person didn’t use you as a reference after all. If you don’t see it in writing, be very skeptical. I have seen things like this where the cops just go willy-nilly after a lead. I can’t really blame them, but it is disturbing to the innocent people that get harassed.
Yep, but nothing fits. Why go to this trouble when all they need to do is pick any random person out of a phone book. And since we use initials in the phone book, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
I am a little suspicious of the deputies. You gotta know that if they are trying to track down someone that has jumped bail, they are going to know that persons criminal history. Perhaps they weren’t at liberty to say.
One thing that crossed my mind – Our house would provide a perfect growing environment. Passive solar out in the sticks. Lots and lots of windows. And most of the windows have lost their double pane seal, so it makes it look like it’s real humid inside the house. Maybe they just wanted a look around.
Just for the record, I’m not really too concerned about this now. I see it as more of a mystery than a problem.
I do not know how they do it in Colorado, but where I live, the bail bondsman tracks you down. Not the local cops. If you completely skip out on bail, they put out a warrant, they don’t drive 100 miles to track you down. And why did they not call? Maybe, because if the ref was legit, they wanted to catch the offender at your house…But still. Refs should be called, or confirmed by the authorities, or bondsman…the bondsman wants to know he’s going to get paid.
That’s why I’m kind of doubting the reference was even made. Cops can fabricate just about any kind of story they choose to get the information they are looking for.
If the bail/bond story was fabricated, and they came to my house, saw in a window or I invite them in, and found something illegal, would that be admissible against me?
I have to doubt it. I think that would constitute illegal search since they would have been there under false pretences.
. In this case, the deputies said that the Colorado Spgs police asked them to check for them. They did not have to drive 100 miles.