FAQ

There is no sure way to know how long it will take the jail to complete the booking process. Once you have been booked the bond paperwork takes approximately 5-20 minutes. After the bond is posted the release is generally 15 to 30 minutes. Please keep in mind that busy times at the jail, weekends and holidays, can slow the release.

You can bond yourself if you, family or friends can pay the entire bond or fine amount in cash. Please be aware that when making a cash bond, whoever puts the money up is responsible for all your appearances in court until your case has been completed. If you fail to appear for any scheduled court dates the county will seize the bond money and you cannot get it back. The person making the bond could also be responsible for paying the bond forfeiture court cost.

A licensed bondsman will put up the entire amount of the bond to secure your release from jail. You are only required to pay a small percentage of the bond amount, allowing you to keep most of your money. The bondsman should stay in touch with you throughout the court process and maintain good contact information in order to notify you of all court settings. If you qualify, the bondsman can grant you a payment plan that will allow you to pay your bond fee over several months. If you fail to appear in the court, the bondsman should immediately try to find and quickly get you to court to avoid any extra charges being filed against you, like bond jumping.

Real Estate that is owned with a clear title and has no outstanding liens against it.

Other items such as a car, motorcycle, boat, motor home, etc. can be used but must have a clear title. Sometimes the bondsman may require these items be held by the bondsman until the case is completed. Items such as these are valued at their current resale value, not what was originally paid for them.

Personal items of value such as jewelry, firearms, computers, cameras, stereos, etc. can be used as collateral and must be surrendered to the bondsman who will hold them in a secure place until the case is completed. These items are valued at their current resale value, not what was originally paid for them.

In the State of Texas, you cannot put up your "homestead" house as collateral.
You may not use any item that you have purchased on credit and are still making payments on.

When the court case is pled or disposed of. This can be when the charges are dropped, the person is found innocent, or the person is sentenced to probation or jail time. The collateral will be returned minus any unpaid balance on the bond fee.

Personal Recognizance release is not used in Taylor County, although you may be eligible to apply for a Court Supervised Release Program. This program is run by the probation office and requires regular check in and monitoring, and even possible drug testing. If you violate their requirements they will put you back in jail and the judge almost always significantly raises the bond. There is also a fee involved.

Although specifics vary depending on the jurisdiction, a warrant is issued for the person's arrest and the person would be added to the state or national warrant database. The bondsman normally calls the person's home, work, and other references to try to find the person and convince them to appear. If these efforts are unsuccessful, the bondsman may ask the court to file bond jumping charges which can carry significant extra jail time.

If you guaranteed the appearance by putting up collateral for someone, you want to convince the fugitive to surrender themselves to the police or court as soon as possible. If the fugitive goes to court or jail before actual bond forfeiture is paid to the state, you can usually get most or some of your collateral back.

If the fugitive does not surrender and cannot be found by the final forfeiture date, the bail agency loses the entire bond plus court cost to the state. Legal action is then taken to seize or liquidate your collateral. By law, the bondsman is required to refund any value received in excess of the bond forfeiture paid.

Billy Olson Bail Bond has thirty years' experience and we do not write extremely high-risk bonds. We are proud to say we have one of the best court appearance rates around. We have also had tremendous success at finding our clients that do fail to appear. If you guarantee someone's bond and they fail to appear in court, you will be glad that you have our help on your side.