Bail Reduced For Langston Williams Jr.

Langston Williams Jr., 21, was released yesterday from the Monterey County Jail on a $500,000.00 bail bond. The defendant, a Hartnell College student was able to post the bail bond through the support of his church. The money was raised by hundreds of the San Antonio Church members. Williams father, Langston Williams Sr., is the pastor at the church.

Langston Williams Jr. is being accused of stabbing his brother, Thaddaeus Williams, 18, to death during a dispute over a computer in their Salinas apartment.Williams family's motivation for his release is to attend his brother's funeral this Friday.

Williams was fortunate enough to have his bail reduced from $1,000,000.00 let alone have bail! A defendant charged with a capital crime is usually held without bail.

Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona Federally Indicted

Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona was indicted by the federal government today for abusing the Sheriff's office for financial gain.

The seven felony counts for using his elected office to “enrich” himself and offer “favors to friends who paid bribes.” Carona illegally accepted money, high-priced gifts, tickets to exclusive sporting events and loans for his wife and for his “longtime mistress,” the indictment said.

Carona's wife, Debbie Carona, and a Newport Beach attorney, Debra Hoffman, are both included in the indictment. Debra Hoffman is supposedly Mike Carona's mistress.

Carona's two top former aides, George Jaramillo, 47, and Don Haidl, 56, reached separate agreements with the government, pleading guilty to federal charges in exchange for their cooperation in building the case against Carona.

Mike Corona and his wife during a press conference denied all allegations and feel they will be vindicated.

California Arson Suspect Arrested

Catalino Pineda, a native of Guatemala, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department and charged with arson.

According to investigators, the defendant, was seen on a hillside near Del Valle Street and Ponce Avenue lighting a fire and walking away. Witnesses followed Pineda to a local restaurant where they called the police.

Pineda is currently on probation for making false emergency reports to law enforcement. Catalino Pineda's bail bond is set at $75,000.00, but it is unknown if he has made bail.

Dog The Bounty Hunter To Help Joe Francis

Joe Francis, is best known as the founder and CEO of the Girls Gone Wild videos and in recent times, has found himself in trouble with the civil and criminal court systems.

Francis has been behind bars for the last six months without bail for a case dating back to 2003. The case stems from the Panama City officials trying to block filming of his videos. After a successful First Amendment lawsuit filed by Joe Francis, the Panama City officials backed down. Joe Francis' website MeetJoeFrancis.com claims the officials of Panama City, Florida, are enraged and seeking vengeance.

After watching a jailhouse interview with Joe Francis on Fox News', Duane "Dog" Chapman believes that Francis has been mistreated by the Florida Legal System. Chapman, has a reality TV series "Dog The Bounty Hunter". Chapman's argument is that he has seen many people released on more severe charges and there should be no reason why Joe Francis should not be able to post a bail bond.

Chapman has even offered to co-sign on Joe Francis' bail bond after contacting him at the Washoe County Jail in Reno, Nevada.

Fake Doctor Skips On Bail Bond

Mario Nieves Perez, 45, will be held without bail once captured for failing to appear in court yesterday. Originally, the Defendant had posted a $20,000.00 bail bond on four felony counts of practicing medicine without a license.

Since his release and failure to appear, the criminal complaint filed against Perez charges 18 counts of practicing medicine without a license, 10 counts of mayhem, and one count of elder abuse.

Perez allegedly was charging $100 for injections at a salon. The procedure performed by a doctor usually cost $500 to $2,500.00. Perez also admitted to the police in his original arrest that he was performing injections for 18 months and had done other cosmetic procedures as well.

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O.C. Defense Attorney Pleads Guilty to Payoff

Joseph Cavallo, a high profile criminal defense attorney, pleaded guilty to illegally paying off bail bonds agents to get him clients from the Orange County Jail.

Prosecutors claim that Cavallo paid Castro, a bail bond agent, $50,000.00 between June 2003 and August 2005.

John Barnett, Cavallo's attorney, mentioned to reporters that his client is willing to serve any sentence deemed appropriate.

Bail Bondsmen Sentenced In Orange County

Unfortunately, it is never a pleasure to write about pitfalls and individuals in our industry, but time has proven over and over again, that greed and unethical conduct within the bail bond industry can only hurt the public's perception of our profession.

Jorge Andres Castro, 31, of Aliso Viejo, and Alejandro De Jesus Cruz, of Miami, pleaded guilty in February to two felonies. They were sentenced this past Friday.

Castro was the owner of the bail bond company in Santa Ana, and Cruz worked as an operator at the agency. They admitted to referring inmates to Joseph Cavallo, a criminal defense attorney,and Cavallo paid them for the illegal soliciting of business.

Joseph Cavallo became well-known after defending Greg Haidl, the son of the former assistant sheriff. Cavallo is due back in court, whose trial is set for October 22, 2007.

Lodi Man Out On $250,000.00 Bail Bond

A day after he was charged with threatening and bribing drivers at a local trucking company, a former dispatcher and Lodi man posted a $250,000 bail bond and walked out of jail.

James Melvin Canclini, 41, faces charges of bribing at least 29 drivers at T&T Trucking between 1997 and 2006. Prosecutors also charged him with stealing more than $100,000 from the business, threatening a witness this year and filing false tax returns.

Canclini was arraigned Thursday on a total of seven counts and was appointed a public defender, saying he could not afford his own attorney. Judge Richard Vlavianos set bail at $250,000, the amount previously set in an arrest warrant, and scheduled a hearing for Tuesday because Canclini's attorney had asked that bail be reduced.

On Friday afternoon, Canclini posted the bail bond through a bail agent, Deputy District Attorney Stephen Taylor said.Bail bond agents charge a 10 percent fee, meaning that Canclini would have needed to come up with $25,000 cash, as well as collateral to cover the bond.

Orange County Courts Operations Delayed

A slowdown of court operations was spurred by sheriff's deputies wanting a new contract. Deputies also picketed outside of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, calling on the members to negotiate a new contract in good faith. This is the second delay in one week for Orange County Courts.

Supervisors Chair, Chris Norby, said the board is looking for a contract that is fair, but the boards problems are currently revolving around the union health care account for the deputies.

Meanwhile, deputies will continue to follow strict policies and procedures instead of cutting corners to keep the system moving.

El Sobrante Marijuana Candy Maker Out On Bail Bond

The founder of an Oakland food factory that laces everything from candy and cookies to barbecue sauce with marijuana surrendered Thursday to face a federal drug charge and was later freed on a $300,000 bail bond.

Michael Martin, 33, of El Sobrante, was granted release on bail by the U.S. Magistrate. If convicted of charges to manufacture marijuana, Martin may face up to 20 years in prison.

Judge Upholds No-Bail Bond Rule In Arizona

A state Court of Appeals recently denied a bail bond for an illegal immigrant who was charged with a certain felony, stating that their constitutional rights are not violated.

The Court of Appeals ruling on Tuesday, caused much argument between both parties. The attorney for the defendant claims that Proposition 100 last year, unfairly targeted illegal immigrants in this country and that it "inflicts punishment without due process."

But, Judge Donn Kessler, writing for the unanimous court, stated it is clear that the purpose of Proposition 100 is not to punish those not legally here, but simply to ensure that they appear at their trial.

Bail for Suspect Doubles to $500,000.00

John Burgess, the alleged suspect in Donna Jou's disappearance had his bail bond raised to a half a million dollars this morning in court for failing to register as a sex offender on a previous case. The bail bond amount is double the amount of the bail bond posted by the suspect previously.

$250,000.00 Bail Bond Revoked

John Steven Burgess, 35, has been mentioned as a possible suspect to Donna Jou's disappearance. Donna Jou is a San Diego State biology student who had met Burgess through the craigslist website. She's gone missing since June 23, 2007, and it is believed that Burgess has information on Donna's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, the suspect's bail bond was revoked by the bail bond agency in California who original posted his bail. The bail bond was the result of Burgess not registering as a sex offender on a previous case. He also has an extensive criminal arrest history including the Florida video store theft which lead to his rearrest and surrender.

Finally, Burgess is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility and has a court appearance scheduled on October 10, 2007.