The Professional Bondsmen of Texas- Blog

  Texarkana- Nine people have been shot and 1 critically injured at a Halloween party late Saturday night. According to police, an emergency call came in just before midnight for a shooting at Octavia’s Activity Center on the 2300 block of Texas Blvd. There were more than 200 people there for a Halloween party at the time when the suspect opened fire. When police arrived there were fights happening at the scene. It is not yet known if the suspect was an attendee at the party prior to the shooting. Nine people were shot, 1 is critically wounded. Five are being treated at Wadley Regional Medical Center, 4 of them are at CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital. Some of the wounded drove themselves to the hospital. Police do not currently have a suspect in custody. To see more CLICK HERE .

  Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has joined the legions of law enforcement officials warning that vaccine mandates will cause a mass exodus among first responders. “I have repeatedly stated the dangers to public safety when 20%-30% of my workforce is no longer available to provide service, and those dangers are quickly becoming a reality,” Villanueva said. “We are experiencing an increase in unscheduled retirements, worker compensation claims, employees quitting, and a reduction in qualified applicants.” “As a result, homicide rates will continue to rise, response times will increase, solve rates will diminish, arrests will decline, patrol services will significantly decline, and patrol stations will close,” he added. Villanueva said that the mandate has pushed some officers into early retirement while he said others have finally decided to “get those surgeries they have been putting off for injuries sustained throughout their careers (knees, shoulders, back, etc.).” Though

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  New York- A Texas man was arrested and arraigned on burglary and larceny charges three different times in 24 hours in Oneida County, but because of the New York state bail reform law, he was released without posting bail, according to authorities. After the individual's fourth alleged offense, a burglary, the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion with the court to ask that bail be set. Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol says such situations show why bail reform has gone too far. Enacted in January 2020, the law no longer requires cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent crimes. The purpose of the reform was to reduce the number of incarcerated people who cannot afford bail. “Our job is to keep people safe," Maciol said. "Our job is to keep crime victims safe. When the system continuously allows these people to walk back out and re-commit and create additional crime victims, that’s very frustrating and that’s wrong.” Maciol says many of the chan

  New York- Local police are frustrated. Business owners are angry and concerned. Shoplifting, they say, has become a much bigger problem. Some thieves are taking it to a whole new level, and it's shocking even to veteran members of law enforcement. "It is literally open season on the retail business," says Gates Police Chief James VanBrederode. It's a new breed of shoplifters -- blatant, brazen, and more willing to get caught. Just afternoon on October 5th at the Greece Lowe's, police say Teri Easton walked out with $486 in merchandise. She was arrested for shoplifting, and released on an appearance ticket. Less than five hours later, police say she was back at it -- stealing more than $500 from the Gates Home Depot. Easton was charged with shoplifting nine times before. Twice, police say, she never even showed up for court. "What my officers are seeing is there is no fear- the brazenness of this stuff is just amazing," says VanBrederode. "They kno

  "The Five" panel slammed President Joe Biden's "gender equity" plan that called for ending cash bail.  "President Biden is set to unleash disastrous liberal crime reform policies nationwide despite a rise in violence across the country. The administration is proposing eliminating cash bail to promote gender equity. Yeah, you heard that right," co-host Jesse Watters said.  The White House plan said it would "work to end cash bail and reform our pretrial system, recognizing the harm these processes cause, particularly for Black women and families." "Well, it does make sense because if you're eliminating cash bail to promote gender equity, you're ending up with more women who are crime victims," co-host Greg Gutfeld said. "The bulk of the women that are being attacked on the streets are women … So basically, they've decided that if we can create more female murder victims, that's equity too. They're redistrib

  Of all the cities that have seen a sharp decline over the last several years, perhaps none has experienced a more visible downfall than Portland, OR. The once safe and thriving city has been reduced to high murder rates, Antifa controlling the streets, and a public living in fear. And in the midst of it of all, one man bears the lion’s share of the blame: Mayor Ted Wheeler. The Democrat has purposely let his city decay by heeding calls to defund the police. Meanwhile, far-left activists of all stripes rule the streets and terrorize residents. That has resulted in high costs for business owners, with one recent rampage by anarchists causing half a million dollars in damage. And for what, exactly? …a violent mob of about 100 “anarchists” began running wild through the city, vandalizing walls, smashing windows, and setting fires at around 10 pm last Tuesday night. This resulted in $500,000 worth of damage. Despite the overwhelming chaos, police report that they could only stand by and w

Elected officials in NY have passed laws that are failing the public — and have created a society of no consequences, emboldening criminals. There’s a solution: Fix bail reform laws now! To see more CLICK HERE .

  An 89-year-old Manhattan man whose wallet was snatched by a serial pickpocket said he’s grateful cops caught the career crook so quickly — and furious the accused thief was cut loose without bail the very next day. "F—ing-A it angers me," a frustrated Norman Heyman fumed to The Post Wednesday. "I hate to see people go to jail," he said. "But damn it if somebody keeps on doing this over and over and over again, and he hasn’t learned a lesson. The political forces that are here are not making citizens happy. It’s not making me happy. I don’t have an answer for it." Heyman was food shopping with his wife at the Martin Williams supermarket on East 23rd Street around 2:30 p.m. Saturday when the caught-on-video theft took place, cops said. Heyman said he realized his wallet was missing and, believing he’d left it behind, returned home — but it wasn’t there, so he returned to the food store. That’s when the store manager showed him the surveillance footage and

ALBANY — Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl says criminal justice policy in New York is now so stacked in favor of defendants that he has scratched plans to run for re-election when his current term ends in December 2023, “They have made it almost impossible for me to do my job,” Muehl said of Albany lawmakers Monday when reached at his Cooperstown office Monday by CNHI. “For the first time in my life now, the criminals have the upper hand.” The past president of the New York State District Attorneys Association, David Soares, the chief prosecutor for Albany County, said Muehl is not alone as a public safety advocate who believes the “criminal justice pendulum” has swung too far. Changes to New York bail laws, enacted under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have restricted the ability of judges to consider impacts to public safety when deciding on bail issues at criminal arraignments. Soares said the district attorneys, in the coming legislative session, will try to convince lawmakers

  A Duncansville man who was out on bail after allegedly punching the Duncansville police chief has been arrested again after Altoona police say he tried to choke out an officer. Cory McQueary, 36, of Duncansville, had the police called on him after he was yelling and being loud while on the phone Thursday night on the 1400 block of 12th Avenue Alley, according to the complaint. Police arrived and told him he needed to quiet down. He then walked away from police and they could still hear him from two blocks away, they noted. After approaching McQueary a second time, the officer said they could smell alcohol on him. He began to walk away from the officer and was told to stop as a 2nd cruiser arrived at the scene. That’s when police said he tried to flee by running up a hill. When police caught up to McQueary, they noted that he began to resist and ignore their commands. While trying to handcuff him, he appeared to strike one of the officers in the ribs before being taken to the ground.

  For far too many women, every day is living a nightmare. One Louisville woman said she feels like her abuser was rewarded. Christina McIntosh shared videos in which her husband of 10 years, Michael Strong, is heard yelling at her. The videos include Strong calling McIntosh names, cursing at her and telling her she’s worthless. She also showed photos of bruises on her face, broken bones, and scars around her neck from one of the many times she claims Strong strangled her. In another video Strong sent her, he admits to being “aggressive.” “You go on that, ‘I am doing all this bad stuff’ and the other,” Strong says. “Yeah, I am very aggressive. Yeah, I’m very hurt. Yeah, I drink a lot, you’re right,” he continues. “You know why? Cause I do that to drown my god**** sorrows every f****** day.” McIntosh said his voice in those videos still haunts her. “Purgatory,” McIntosh described her time with Strong. “And every now and every once in a while, I got to get out and go to hell.” McIntosh’s

  Travis Lang, 23, has been arrested for murder after his release from jail earlier this year on bond in a case where he was facing drug charges. According to court documents his bond was paid by The Bail Project. It’s the second time this year that the organization has covered someone’s bail in Marion County and the suspect has gone on to commit a murder. Lang is charged with the early October shooting that killed one man and injured a woman. Lang’s wrap sheet dates back to 2018 and consists of pending charges related to auto theft, burglary, resisting law enforcement, and multiple drug-related charges. He was arrested in December for possession of cocaine, a Level 6 felony. Court documents show in January his $5,000 cash bond was paid by The Bail Project. According to investigators, Lang was a known drug dealer in the area. Following his January bond release, police said he would go on to continue to sell drugs leading to the murder of Dylan McGinnis on Oct. 1. To see more CLICK HERE

  The city of Minneapolis is about to become the center of a crude experiment.  On Nov. 2, residents get a chance to vote on a proposed charter amendment that would abolish the police department and replace it with a new “public safety” agency.  The initiative aims to remedy “state-sanctioned violence” against “Black lives” in the aftermath of George Floyd’s tragic death, according to its proponents, the radical activist group Yes 4 Minneapolis. It would establish a “comprehensive public health approach to safety,” rather than the current “punitive” system. “Compassion, humanity and love” will be the new foundation of this progressive model, as Ilhan Omar poetically opined in a recent Minneapolis Star Tribune op-ed.  While these sentiments are well-intentioned and appealing, they obscure the dangers of overhauling an already hamstrung system.  The new public safety agency would strike down the city charter’s mandate requiring the police department to maintain a minimum staffing level,

This store loses $25,000 a day to shoplifting,” an SFPD officer told the Globe in lengthy, taped interviews conducted this week. “That’s $25,000 that walks out the door on average between 9 and 6 every day.” * * * * “This store does between $80,000 to $120,000 in sales every day. And they lose 25 of it [meaning $25,000]. Even if they’re making 25% profit, the stealing takes that down to zero.” Asked if the presence of armed, uniformed police officers had any deterrent effect on thieves, one officer was blunt in his assessment. "They don’t care. There’s no consequences. Literally zero consequences. I’ve kicked out… I’ve been here since 9 AM today. I probably have already kicked out eight or nine people and I’ve recovered a thousand dollars worth of stuff alone off of that. Whether we kick them out, tell them they can’t come back, whether I put them in handcuffs and take them down to the county jail—there is no difference. Because they will not be prosecuted by the district attorney

  Fox News- A Texas man is suspected of committing two murders after being released on bond in a county run by a district attorney's office funded by liberal megadonor George Soros. Documents obtained by Fox News show 29-year-old Laderious Deshawn Nicholson was arrested in 2019 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and released in 2021 on a surety bond. He allegedly committed two murders after his release. He was arrested in September 2021 for those homicides and is currently in the Travis County correctional system. Austin is mostly within Travis County. Records from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office show that Nicholson was released from its custody on March 15, 2021, when he posted a bond of $75,000 via Kwik Out Bail bonds and was set free without any bail conditions such as a GPS monitor or curfew. Court papers show Nicholson is suspected of committing a murder on May 15, 2021, during a dice game robbery. Additionally, court papers show another murder warrant being issued

  The Third Special Session of the Texas Legislature has ended.  This special session focused on redistricting.  The Governor also added the proposed constitutional amendment to expand preventative detention back to the agenda after it was defeated in the Second Special Session. The resolution passed the Senate, but once again failed in the House.  For the second time, House Democrats chose career criminals over public safety. Another special session is not expected, although Gov. Greg Abbott didn’t get his way on all of his agenda items, including a ban on vaccine mandates. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wished senators “Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.” House Speaker Dade Phelan noted the tiredness of members and how they look foward to returnining home. To see more CLICK HERE .

  Remember two years ago when Lina Hidalgo bragged about passing bond reform? Well apparently now she doesn't like the new system and she says it's the bondsmen's fault. On Twitter the authoritarian elected official posted a poorly written opinion piece from the Houston Chronicle that places blame on people in the bail bond industry for following the rules that she helped create. Yes, really. * * * Lina, your own Wiki page says you “championed bond reform.” Are you really publicly attacking law-abiding citizens for following the rules you helped create? Criminals in Houston are being freed from jail because of you, not bondsmen.  Lina, your own Wiki page says you “championed bond reform.” Are you really publicly attacking law-abiding citizens for following the rules you helped create? Criminals in Houston are being freed from jail because of you, not bondsmen. You actually bragged about doing this. pic.twitter.com/oPBrmFVaxt — Kenny Webster (@KenWebsterII) October 15, 2021

  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of Oklahoma police officers who were accused of using excessive force after fatally shooting a man who raised a hammer behind his head, “and took a stance as if he was about to throw the hammer or charge at the officers.” The Court held that the officers are entitled to qualified immunity. * * * After a federal trial court held in a summary judgment that the officers’ use of force was reasonable, and that qualified immunity protected the officers from personal financial liability, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed. * * * But the Supreme Court disagreed, stating, “The officers plainly did not violate any clearly established law,” and that qualified immunity protects “all but the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law.” “We have repeatedly told courts not to define clearly established law at too high a level of generality,” the Supreme Court added. “It is not enough that a rule be suggest

HOUSTON — Family and friends are demanding justice for Martha Medina, the 71-year-old grandmother killed in a purse snatching incident last month. They are calling for bond reform in Harris County. Court records show the suspect accused of killing Medina, 40-year-old Andrew Williams, was out on bond for a previous capital murder charge. He's now facing another capital murder charge in connection with Medina's death. Those at a march on Wednesday said Medina's death would not have happened if a judge had not released Williams on bond. On Sept. 23, Medina was outside an east Houston McDonald's when police said Williams snatched her purse and ran over her before leaving the scene. Family members said she was getting breakfast for her daughter. Investigators said Williams followed Medina from a bank before the attack. Williams was one of three people charged with capital murder in connection with a shooting death stemming from a drug deal gone bad in Spring. To see more CLI

  HOUSTON, Texas — Several state lawmakers are hoping to bring some much-needed relief to Harris County criminal courts. In a new bill they’re hoping will pass this special session, several state representatives are wanting to create three additional criminal courts to help alleviate the massive backlog that’s been created over the past few years. Lawmakers only have six more days to get the job done, but since they’re still in special session, first, they say they need help from Gov. Greg Abbott to make the issue a priority. From the devastating floods to the deadly pandemic, the recent years have wreaked havoc on the county’s criminal justice system. So much so, its backlog has been blamed for contributing to an increase in crime. “We need to stop releasing people on multiple felony bonds," CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston Rania Mankarious said in July. Several recent offenders have been out on bond when committing new crimes, like the man charged with killing 71-year-old Martha

HOUSTON - Officers with Harris County Constable Precinct 4 are mourning the loss of one of their own after three deputies were shot in an apparent ambush overnight Saturday in north Houston. Based on preliminary information, three constable deputies with Pct. 4 were working extra jobs at 45 Bar and Lounge on North Fwy. That's when officials say a witness told deputies of a possible robbery around 2 a.m. The officers were trying to intervene in the alleged robbery when they were ambushed.  To see more CLICK HERE . Media briefing on shooting of three @pct4constable deputies. #hounews https://t.co/9zL6BecBvO — Houston Police (@houstonpolice) October 16, 2021

  The advocacy group founded by liberal billionaire financier George Soros has dumped $500,000 into a campaign to defeat a proposal in Austin, Texas, that would bulk up the city’s police department. Proposition A, an Austin ballot proposal for the Nov. 2 election backed by the group Save Austin Now, would require at least two Austin police officers for every 1,000 residents and would provide officers with an additional 40 hours of police training each year on topics such as weapons proficiency and active shooter scenarios.  According to financial records reviewed by Fox News, Soros’ Open Society Policy Center last week donated $500,000 to Equity Austin, a group that is working to defeat Proposition A. "It sickens me that out of town billionaires are able to swoop into Austin to fight against citizen-led ballot initiatives," Austin City Council member Mackenzie Kelly said in a statement to Fox News. "The purpose of our city’s charter is to allow regular, everyday people t

  Five people have been arrested in what is believed to be the largest stolen property bust of its kind in California history, and quite possibly the largest in the nation. Kiet Do shows us the culprits and a warehouse, bursting with boosted goods.

  Walgreens is closing five more San Francisco locations as drug stores from the Bay Area to the Big Apple are besieged by rampant shoplifting and lax enforcement. San Fran shoplifters have been emboldened by a referendum that lowered the penalty for stealing goods worth less than $950 from a felony to a misdemeanor, cops and prosecutors have said. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the latest closures to SFGate. “Organized retail crime continues to be a challenge facing retailers across San Francisco, and we are not immune to that,” Walgreens spokesperson Phil Caruso told the outlet. To see more CLICK HERE .

Our criminal justice system is failing us when people with extensive violent criminal backgrounds are walking among us. If your family has suffered because of this join us!  

  Democrats have historically responded to rising crime in two ways. The first is posturing as tough, but not quite as tough on crime as Republicans. This is sometimes a successful electoral strategy (see Eric Adams’s victory in the New York mayoral Democratic primary) — but can result in dangerous policy (see again: Eric Adams’s victory). The second is more problematic: denying crime as a salient issue in the first place, an unconvincing argument that cedes fertile political ground to the GOP. Both approaches also pose potential harm to the Black and brown communities and people whom crime — and criminal justice policy — disproportionately affects. Democrats need a new path. When they let Republicans define what it means to be tough on crime, it leaves progressive proposals vulnerable to dismissal — as evidenced by the bipartisan backlash to “defund the police.” “The threat that public alarm over crime will trigger a punitive turn in policy is real,” New York Magazine’s Eric Levitz wa

New York City’s top cop blames bail reform laws enacted by the Democratic-dominated state Legislature for the spike in violent crime, including Monday night’s gun battle between NYPD officers and a gang of suspected jewelry thieves. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea blamed the ‘drastic reduction in incarceration levels’ for several high-profile incidents of gun violence throughout the five boroughs. Shea was reacting to the incident from early Monday morning in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, where an NYPD officer fired at suspected members of a violent gang dubbed Own Every Dollar as they cased a high-end restaurant. To see more CLICK HERE .

  The Urban Conservative Podcast discussing the cause of rising crime across the country.  This podcast originally aired on October 11, 2021.

  Dan Ball with Sgt. Joe Gamaldi on "Real America" broadcast on the One America News Network!  Joe Gamaldi discusses rampant crime rates in the urban areas in the United States.

Far left activists have been pushing to defund the police and eliminate bail for many months now because supposedly everything in this country is racist, including wanting to live and to be safe. New FBI crime statistics show just how stupid and devastating this idea is. Last year, aggravated assaults (across the country) rose by 12.4 percent, while the murder rate increased by 29 percent—the largest increase ever. (The city of) Milwaukee set an all-time record with 189 homicides in 2020 and Wisconsin’s statewide homicide rate increased by 70%. To see more CLICK HERE .

  How does a drug dealer living in a homeless camp in a plywood pleasure palace complete with a view of the lake, ring doorbell and power provided by two generators evade prison? Fox17 tracked the story down.  

  State legislators passed a bail reform bill in 2020, which replaced the normal cash bail-centric model with one that relies on risk factors when deciding whether to detain or release a person. But lawmakers undid much of that work a year later, after sheriffs and other law enforcement officials argued the move failed victims and let dangerous people go free. A 2021 bill largely brought Utah back to a cash-bail system, removing the part of the law that introduced risk assessment but advising judges to impose the least restrictive conditions of release available. On Monday, an attorney filed a potential class-action lawsuit on behalf of three plaintiffs alleging that they could pay the bail set by two judges who set their bail. It asks a federal judge to declare the current bail process unconstitutional. To see more CLICK HERE .

  New York- Bad bail reform ties the hands of judges and requires the release of career criminals to allow them to commit new crimes.  They no longer fear arrest. A New York City woman who shoved another woman into an oncoming subway train near Times Square was released from jail without bond two months earlier due to New York’s 2020 bail reform law. Twenty-nine-year-old Anthonia Egegbara, who has been charged with attempted murder for pushing a 42-year-old Lenny Javier into the side of the No. 3 train in Times Square, attacked another female stranger on July 5th, according to the New York Post. Police issued a ticket ordering Egegbara to appear in court on July 19th after she was arraigned on third-degree assault, attempted assault, and harassment but she was released without bail due to a January 2020 bail reform law that strips judges of the ability to set bail on third-degree assault charges and other serious crimes. To see more CLICK HERE .

  On August 15th, police arrested 31-year-old Jonathan Welch of Arundel and charged him with domestic violence criminal threatening, domestic violence terrorizing, and unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs. Welch was later released on bail. On September 4, police say officers responded to the same home on Bears Den Road for a domestic disturbance. Welch was arrested again and charged with tampering with a victim, violation of conditions of release, domestic violence terrorizing and criminal mischief. During the investigation, police then found 157 grams of cocaine, 391 grams of fentanyl, 169 grams of methamphetamine, a handgun, and over $3,000 in cash. To see more CLICK HERE .

The Annual Meeting of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas was just completed on October 8, 2021.  The meeting was held in San Antonio, Texas at the historic Menger Hotel.   The annual meeting set new records in attendance, new members joining and in fund raising. The meeting had many informative presentations regarding new laws going into effect in Texas including the new open carry law, Senate Bill 6 and House Bill 1005. By all measurements, the meeting was the most successful meeting in PBT's history.  The meeting was attended by over 250 bondsmen from across the state of Texas and from several other states as well.  One guest from another state reported that a bill had been filed in their state legislature with the support of the Vera Institute and they had visited the PBT website and downloaded the information needed to help defeat the bill. Presentations included a panel discussion from the PBT Legislative Committee highlighting the twists and turns in the most recent Texas Leg

Bad Bail Reform ties the hands of the judges and allows career criminals to take advantage of the criminal justice system.  Here is the latest example: New York Post-  With 46 arrests for retail theft this year alone, this Man of Steal leads NYC’s record-shattering shoplifting surge. Were he the supervillain in a heist movie, Isaac Rodriguez, 22, would be called Sir Isaac Lootin.’ But the real-life, allegedly violent bandit has no moniker — just a rap sheet 74 offenses long, dating back to 2015, according to police sources. The King of Queens Thieves has been arrested 57 times this year alone, including in a vicious stabbing, police sources told The Post. To see more CLICK HERE.