Jerry B. Steele

Agent

View Mug Shots 

Search For Mug Shots

GET 'EM OUT!!!

If you have been arrested, you are probably confused and scared.  You are wondering what to do now.  What can you do to make your situation better?  Even more imprtant, how do you preven making it worse?

When your bond has been set

When your bond has been set, ask to make a phone call to contact someone who can help you.  It could be a relative, a friend or an attorney.  OR, CALL STEELE BOYS' BAIL BONDS at 850-215-2608

Bail Bonds Process

• Your bond is set, usually at First Appearance.  First Appearance is your first time to see a judge.  At First Appearance, you may plead guilty or no contest and be sentenced immediately; or you may plead not guilty.  If you plead not guilty, a bond will be set, and you will be given a date for Arraignment.
• Call someone who can help with the process of getting you out of jail.  The person who agrees to help you will be required to come to our office to complete informational forms and to pay the premium, which is the amount that is charged for writing the bond.  By law, the minimum charge for a bond is $100.00.  If your bond is $1,000.00 or less, the charge will be $100.00  If your bond is more than $1,000.00, the charge will be 10% of the bond.  Each charge has a separate bond which is not refundable.  Collateral may or may not be necessary and it is on a case by case basis.
• We will write the bond and deliver it to the Bay County Jail.  Jail personnel will process the bond, and you will be released.   The entire process may take as long as 2 to 4 hours.
• Upon release from the County Jail, you will be required to appear in our office so that we can obtain basic information about you and explain to you the conditions of your bond.  When you are released from the jail, your deadline for reporting to our office is noon the following day.  When your report to our office, you should be prepared to provide us with personal infomation, ie: name, address, telephone numbers, place of employment, employment phone number, and 4 references with addresses and phone numbers.  If you wear eyeglasses, please bring them with you.
• It is our mission to help you through this process from your arrest until such time as your case is completely finished.  We are not concerned with your guilt or innocence.  We are concerned only with getting you released from custody so that you can effectively participate in your defense.

By law, all Licensed Bail Bondsmen in the State of Florida are required to charge the same amount for bonds.  Therefore, the only thing that distinguishes us from other bail bondsmen is our efficiency and our client services.  We treat our clients with respect and dignity, and we strive to make your stay at the County Jail a short one.  We pride orusele on being THE FASTEST AROUND.

HOW DO BAIL BONDS WORK?

A bail bond is known formally as a "Surety Bond". Normally, a defendant, relative, friend, or attorney contact a bail bonding company by telephone. During the phone consultation, we will collect basic information about your situation, what the charges are, length of time at your current residence, your employment, etc. During this time, we are assessing the risk involved in your bail bond.

If the client chooses to purchase a bail bond from us, the client will need to sign bail bond documents including a Bail Bond Application, a Bail Indemnity Agreement, and a receipt.

We can process bail by fax in just a few minutes.

After the paperwork is completed, a licensed agent will “post” the bail bond at the appropriate local detention facility or jail which will result in the release of the defendant. From beginning to end, a competent bail bond company will complete the entire bail bond process in a couple of hours, although can not start the bail bond process until all the arrest and booking procedures have been completee.

For this service, the customer is charged a fee (usually 10% of the full bail amount, which is mandated by state law). Be skeptical of bail bonding agents offering discounted bail bonds for 5% or less. Bail bond cost is set by Florida law, and bail agents who charge less are in violation of the law or may simply be using a "bait & switch" tactic to get your business.

By involving family, friends, and collateral, the bail bond company can be reasonably assured that a person released on bond will appear in court on their appointed court date. Since the bail bonds companies money is at risk, the bonding company has a financial incentive in supervising bailees, ensuring that defendants appear for all hearing and, if necessary, a trial. If a defendant "skips or jumps bail", the bail agent is allowed time to find the defendant and bring them in.

With this in mind, always understand your responsibility before you agree to sign on someone else's behalf. If the person fails to appear, the bail bond company will expect you to know where the defendant can be found and assist in his return to court.

ARREST AND BOOKING

When an individual is arrested, he will normally be taken to a local law enforcement detention center for booking. For many charges, a bail ammount may already be set, otherwise, you can expect your bail to be set at your first appearance hearing. After they have been booked, the defendant has several options for release.

The booking process usually consists of fingerprinting, a background check, check for outstanding warrants and getting entered into the computer system. The arrestee will be searched for weapons and other contraband, and their personal belongings will be catalogued and retained by the jailer. During their time in jail the detainee will not have access to money, credit cards, cell phones, medications or other personal property.

After fingerprints are taken, the arrestee is held in a cell. The cell may or may not have a payphone for use. Some jails allow for phone calls before the person is brought to the cell, others will give phone access when it is convenient for the officers.

There is a lot of work involved on the part of the jail to get an individual "processed in". After the jailer has done this work, the computer system needs to be updated. The entire process can take quite a bit of time. Some jails, especially smaller jails, do this quickly and efficiently and are complete with "processing in" in an hour or less. Other jails take several hours to accomplish this. The busy-ness of the jail is also a large factor in determining the time required to process an arrestee.

OPTIONS FOR RELEASE

There are the 5 options for release

    Bail Bond (formally a Surety Bond)

    Bail bonds are explained in detail above.

    Own Recognizance (also known as "O.R.")

    Defendants can be released on their Own Recognizance, also known as "OR". This is usually reserved for lesser crimes. Only a judge can decide to release a detainee on OR. In such a case, the defendant is released with a written promise to appear in court.

    Cash Bail

    To be released on cash bail, an individual must post the full amount of the the bail with the court in the form of cash or cashiers check. In order to post cash bail, an individual should check with the clerk to verify forms of payment accepted in an individual jurisdication as different courts may have other options or restrictions. The source of funds for large bail generally must be verified to ensure that funds come from legal sources.

    After the case has been resolved, the entire amount is refunded. Cash bail is a good option for people with a low dollar bail amount or who can afford to have large sums of money tied up for an extensive period of time.

RELEASE PROCESS

The jail release process is almost like the booking process, only in reverse. Unfortunately for the family who is waiting and the detainee, it is not like checking out of a hotel where you simply leave when you are ready and the bill has been paid.

Regardless of the release type, the computer system must be updated, the personal property returned and paperwork issued explaining the charges, where and when to appear.

in a small jail this process may take a few minutes, but hours in a crowded or busy jail. The timing normally cannot be accurately determined and certainly cannot be guaranteed. Should you use Steele Boys Bail Bonds, we can assist with our experience regarding timing of release from jail.

Please call Steele Boys' Bail Bonds at 850-215-2608 to talk with a licensed agent about how bail bonds work or the bail bond process.

Phyllis K. Harmon

Agent

STEELE BOYS' BAIL BONDS

MARTIN LUTHER KING BLVD.

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA

850-215-2608

This Website Designed & Maintained By:

Want To Take Your Website To The Next Level? Call Michael @ 850-276-3746