NEWS
November 23, 2009
15A‑535. Issuance of policies on pretrial release.
(a) Subject to the provisions of this Article, the senior resident superior court judge for each district or set of districts as defined in G.S. 7A‑41.1(a) in consultation with the chief district court judge or judges of all the district court districts in which are located any of the counties in the senior resident superior court judge's district or set of districts, must devise and issue recommended policies to be followed within each of those counties in determining whether, and upon what conditions, a defendant may be released before trial, and may include in such policies, or issue separately, a requirement that each judicial official who imposes condition (4) in G.S. 15A‑534(a) must record the reasons for doing so in writing.
(b) In any county in which there is a pretrial release program, the senior resident superior court judge may, after consultation with the chief district court judge, order that defendants accepted by such program for supervision shall, with their consent, be released by judicial officials to supervision of such programs, and subject to its rules and regulations, in lieu of releasing the defendants on conditions (1), (2), or (3) of G.S. 15A‑534(a). (1973, c. 1286, s. 1; 1975, c. 791, s. 1; 1987, c. 481, s. 2; 1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 1037, s. 55.)
15A‑534. Procedure for determining conditions of pretrial release.
(a) In determining conditions of pretrial release a judicial official must impose one of the following conditions: (1) Release the defendant on his written promise to appear. (2) Release the defendant upon his execution of an unsecured appearance bond in an amount specified by the judicial official. (3) Place the defendant in the custody of a designated person or organization agreeing to supervise him. (4) Require the execution of an appearance bond in a specified amount secured by a cash deposit of the full amount of the bond, by a mortgage pursuant to G.S. 58‑74‑5, or by at least one solvent surety.
If condition (3) is imposed, however, the defendant may elect to execute an appearance bond under subdivision (4). The judicial official may also place restrictions on the travel, associations, conduct, or place of abode of the defendant as conditions of pretrial release.
August 19, 2009
The Board of Directors of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States has successfully designated Al Estes Bonding, Inc as a Nationally Board Certified Agency of PBUS, and PBUS would like to congratulations to Al Estes, Sr. and the entire Agency for meeting the highest pinnacle of professional standards in the Bail Bond industry.
Al Estes Bonding, Inc. of was recognized at the PBUS 2009 Midyear Meeting as a National Board Certified Agency. A PBUS member agency owner must complete the following before being considered for the designation of “National Board Certified Agency”. They must be an Agency Member in good standing of PBUS and they must have completed the entire Certified Bail Agent course curriculum including the National Apprehension and Liability course. The applicant agency must be in business a minimum of two years, they must be licensed by the state of domicile or approved by their regulatory authority, and neither the applicant agency owner nor any of its agents, sub-agents or employees may have had a license suspension or revocation due to unfair business practices. The agency must submit notarized letters of recommendation from at least ten business associates demonstrating that it has served them in a professional and ethical manner. Lastly, once the aforementioned requirements along with several others have been met, a member of the Certification Committee will conduct an on-site evaluation of the agency to verify the professionalism of the said agency. After the Committee Member has approved the on-site evaluation, the agency’s application is then brought before the board and voted upon.
Al Estes, Sr. started writing bail in 1964 in St Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater Florida. Mr. Estes is a former St. Petersburg Police officer, a shooting member of the Marine Corps Rifle Team for 4 years and was a U.S. Marine for 8 years. While serving as a Marine he fought in Korea from 1951-1952 and received a Purple Heart. Mr. Estes is the Past President the Florida Surety Agents Association and currently runs Al Estes Bonding, Inc. with his two sons A. Eric Estes and Albert A. Estes Jr.
PBUS, established in 1981, is the national professional association representing the nation’s Bail Agents. The role of PBUS is to provide education, training and information to our members. We also serve as a national clearing house for individuals and groups seeking information about bail agents and the role they serve as an integral part of the criminal justice system. Every year, bail agents play an important role in assuring the appearance of defendants in court and provide this service at no cost to the community or taxpayers.
