Bail Bonds Articles

We frequently get calls from people that ask, ” what do I do if I think I have a warrant for my arrest?” Well recently most of our surrounding county jails have gone to the policy of not giving out warrant information over the telephone since a lot of the people that find out that they have warrants don’t want to turn themselves in. It is in your best interest to act quickly and get this warrant served on your terms and not get a surprise knock at your door from a police officer.
What we suggest is for you to contact a friend to come with you then call Off The Hook Bail bonds .
Once you call, we will have a friendly bail agent meet with you and have the warrant served and immediately bond you out without you having to worry about putting on those “lovely” county jail outfits.

During the holidays it can be lonely to be without a loved one that may have gotten arrested due to poor judgment. We here at Off the Hook Bail Bonds understand that you want to be with your friends and family over the holidays so we are offering 10% off the bond fee for any bail bond until January 3rd 2016! In order to take advantage of this offer mention this ad to any of our New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, or Onslow County bail bondsmen when you call!

We are excited to announce that we will soon have a new location in Brunswick County to assist local residents with their bail bonding needs! With the sheriff’s recent decision to make it mandatory for all bail bond companies that wish to be listed inside the jail, they must have a office to be on that list. In a effort to better serve our bail bonding clients that have gotten to know us over the years, we decided to secure a office within a mile of the Brunswick county government complex. When the sale of the property is complete look for our sign to appear off Old Ocean Highway, Bolivia NC.

As of July 1, 2015 the Brunswick County jail is going to remove the current list of bail bonding companies and replace it with a list of bail bonding companies that only have offices in Brunswick county. The purpose of the change is to prevent what is known in the industry as “Trunk Bondsmen”. A “Trunk Bondsman” is a bondsman that travels to different counties working from their car trunk instead of a office. When a person is arrested, the first contact they are allowed to make is from the jail phones. From these phones inmates can call bondsmen from the provided list so that they can start the process needed in order to bail out. If a inmate calls a “Trunk Bondsman” there is a good chance that they will be waiting for hours until that bail bondsman can get to them. In most cases these “Trunk Bondsmen” have their company name added to as many county jail lists as they can in hopes of getting a large bail bond call which can earn them more money. The problem with this is that they usually will not make the trip to get you out of jail if the bond is too small. In fairness to to the inmates I think this is a good policy.

As a bail bondsman I constantly get calls from people in jail that have missed court here in Wilmington NC. We understand that things happen and people miss court from time to time. But when you miss your court date the second time and wind up back in jail this is a problem. This situation is known as a Bond”C” to bail bondsmen and clerks of the court.
Each time a bail bondsman goes to the jail to bond someone out they have to get a “conditions of release and release order” form from the jailer. This form has been filled out by the magistrate that explains what a person has been charged with, conditions of them being released, court date, and bond amount. The state of North Carolina has added wording to this form that can be checked if it applies which reads, ” This was the defendant’s second or subsequent failure to appear in this case.” This is also known as Bond “C”. When this box is checked the bail bondsman has been given notice that IF they write that bail bond and the defendant does not appear in court for the third time, the bail bondsman MUST pay the full amount of the bail bond! The bail bondsman has no recourse to save the bail bond from forfeiture as he would in normal circumstances. This is why you will you will always get a “No” from a bail bondsman when they learn that you have a Bond “C”.
The moral to the story, don’t miss court! If you do happen to miss court don’t miss it more than once because you just may be staying there until your next court date!

Like with most services everyone likes to get a bargain. When it comes to bail bonds in Wilmington NC some bail bondsmen will quote you a ridiculously low amount of money to do a bail bond for you. Be very careful going with these companies, what they are doing is telling you this just to get you away from legitimate companies. In the contract that you sign with any bail bondsmen it states seven rules you must abide by in order to remain on bond. The second rule states that they have the right to arrest you and return you to jail without returning your money if you do not pay money owed on your bond premium. What this means to you is that for whatever reason you can’t pay on the agreed day and time, you will probably be going back to jail! Last year in New Hanover county alone there were 214 people brought back to jail by bail bondsmen for nonpayment. Don’t deal with a shady bail bondsman, make sure you ask questions and get your agreement in writing! A true good deal is only as good as how you benefit from it.

When people need to get a friend or loved one out of jail it is usually at a time when you are not prepared for this news. These days most people have a smartphone or a computer where they go to find a bail bondsman instead of a phone book. Many people have a preconceived notion as to what a bail bondsman is going to look and act like based on tv shows that they have seen. Those tv shows make for good entertainment but when you actually need a bail bonding company to help you get someone out of jail there are a couple of things you should look for when considering one.
How long have they been in business? This is your first indication that a bail bonding company is credible. What do other people think of this bail bond company? You can read reviews from other people that have used a particular bail bonding company. Does that bail bondsman give you helpful advice to your particular situation or do you feel like they are just trying get your business? A bail bondsman can’t give you legal advice but they should be able to assist you with any information pertaining to your case such as court dates, location, and legal council. Does this bail bonding company have a physical office that you can come to if you have further questions? Many bail bondsmen work out of their homes and don’t want their clients coming there so what do you do? And lastly, does this bail bonding company have a website that contains useful information and online forms that makes the bail bonding process convenient? Many people that need a bail bondsman’s assistance cant come to them to fill out paperwork if they are far away. A bail bonding company today should keep up with technology just as other professions have to improve convenience for the customer.