“A Helena teen sent out a text message last week looking to buy marijuana, only instead of texting the drug dealer, he hit a wrong number.

Who received it?

The Lewis and Clark County sheriff.

The text message said: “Hey Dawg, do you have a $20 I can buy right now?”

Sheriff Leo Dutton initially thought someone was playing a joke on him, but quickly realized it was a real request for a drug exchange.

“I’m thinking, ‘Hey this is odd,’ ” Dutton said. “I was looking around to see if there was someone outside my window playing a prank.”

He played along as if it were legitimate. “How much we talking?” Dutton replied to the teen.

The sender said he was close to the dealer’s house, so Dutton got the Missouri River Drug Task Force involved. A detective pretending to be the dealer agreed to meet the sender at a business at the north end of town at 6 p.m. last Wednesday, Dutton said.

Inside the business the detective spotted two male juveniles with an adult male. To ensure it was the right person, the detective called the number three times, Dutton said.

The detective called the teens over and showed them his badge. Dutton said the young boys turned white and their knees began to wobble. The group went outside to discuss the issue further and one of the teens passed out.

“Was it divine intervention or just bad luck?” Dutton said.

The adult male with the group turned out to be the father of one of the teens. He was a big, military-looking guy and he wasn’t happy, Dutton said. The drug detective got both of the teens’ parents involved and decided not to issue any citations.

“When the detective saw there were parents that wanted to be involved he took the right action and I’m really proud of the deputy,” Dutton said. “Trying to buy drugs is a crime, but it’s probably worse that they had to face their parents”.”

Bojan Vuckovic

I employed some innovative investigative techniques and was fortunate to have received some very valuable tips from several confidential informants as well as the cooperation of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota and the Weld and Larimer County Sheriff’s Offices in Colorado. Together, we were able to get these individuals in custody rather quickly. It’s good that the Colorado victims of the crimes that these two committed will get their day in court.

Srdjan Vuckovic

I recently received an invitation to join a group of professional bail agents that is developing a nationwide network of bail experts determined to raise the standards of professionalism in the bail bond industry. I wrote a blog about that invitation and entitled it “No dogs allowed”. Some people took offense to my use of the word dog. Let me be very clear that I am not writing about someone who plays a bounty hunter on TV. I am writing about the pretenders who model themselves after someone on TV and stand in the same line at the jails as I do. I am the one that is offended. A sheriff’s employee recently remarked to me that when some of the bail agents come in to post bonds, they wonder about on which side of the bars that person belongs.

We recognize that the industry has an image problem and we are going to correct that problem. Part of the problem stem from the fact that Hollywood has portrayed bail agents in a manner that makes for mediocre entertainment, but is far from reality. I have a Masters Degree in Family Relations and am a former Deputy Sheriff / Criminal Investigator. I’m pretty boring and more closely represent the majority of agents being invited to join this network.

Another part of the problem stems from the fact that there are a few bad apples in the barrel. They will not be a part of this network.

I had an opportunity to meet with a group of fine people all having the same goal in mind. This group was made up of bail agents, attorneys, marketing professionals, IT specialists and former law enforcement officials. These were people with a fine pedigree and good breeding… no pretenders.

We will be improving the standards of the industry and correcting the image problems that the general population has of us. We are everyday people helping everyday people who know someone having a problem in the legal system. We are an integral part of the criminal justice system. We ensure the court appearance of people accused of crimes so that the defendant and victim have their day in court.

I’m proud to be a part of ExpertBail.com

Watch for the launch on 8/1/10.

Bojan Milutan Vuckovic

Bojan Milutan Vuckovic, AKA “BO”, is wanted by authorities in Larimer and Clear Creek Counties, Colorado. He is facing charges of fraud and theft. He is described as 6’1″ tall, 255lbs., with Blond Hair and Hazel Eyes. His last known address was 736 Columbine St., Ft. Collins, Colorado.  Bojan is the older brother of Srdjan Vuckovic, who is also wanted by the Weld and Clear Creek County authorities on similar charges. A reward is being offered for information on the whereabouts of both subjects. Call 720-284-9764.

Srdjan Vuckovic is wanted for failure to appear on fraud and theft charges in Weld County, Colorado. He is described as 6′ tall, 176lbs with brown hair and hazel eyes and a large tattoo on the left side of his neck. His date of birth is 1/20/1990. Vuckovic’s last known address is 736 Columbine St., Ft. Collins, Colorado. Vuckovic is also wanted for failure to appear on fraud and theft charges in Clear Creek County, Colorado. A reward is being offered for information leading to his apprehension. Call 720-284-9764.

This next image offers a different view of the subject. It appears to be a self portrait taken in a mirror.

I met with her and did the bond. I didn’t give it much thought until he called me later that week. He was extremely grateful and assured me that he would make every court appearance. He said “I’m just so glad that I don’t have to die in jail.” That comment left me speechless. I didn’t know how to respond to him.

We had several conversations over the months regarding court dates and his appearances. He called me last month and told me that he wanted to take one last trip to visit family out of state and needed my consent. Again he assured me that he would make all of his court dates and would keep me informed of his whereabouts at all times. I told him that I would consent to the trip and would provide the appropriate document to the court.

He called me two weeks ago and said that the trip was planned and he needed the document for the court. Again, he repeated his itinerary and gave me contact numbers for those he would be visiting. He ended the call by saying that he wanted to have lunch when he returned from the trip. He wanted to meet me because I was one of the few people in the system that he met who cared about his situation. I told him that I would very much like to meet him and that he should call me when he was rested after his trip.

His wife called me…he died while on the trip. I won’t get that chance to meet him. He was a man facing a certain death and was concerned about making his court appearances and reassuring me.  I wish I had others who cared half as much.

This week, I learned that my high school football coach passed away. No finer man ever paced the sidelines of a football game. He coached football and life at the same time. We were a small school and won a lot of games that we had no business winning. He made the best of our limited talent by installing innovative game plans each week. You hear about the pros doing zone blocking on offense and zone blitzes on defense today. We were doing it in the 60′s. I was privileged to have played for him for the four years I was in high school.

Another client once told me that in life we are all running a race that we cannot win…the most we can hope for is style points. I think about that everyday.

I have been searching for a mobile solution to an issue that I face on a daily basis. I spend a lot of time in the car driving between jails and an inordinate amount of time waiting to post bonds at those jails. On a daily basis I receive phone calls that require that I have access to the internet, my client database and my calendar. I get questions regarding future court dates, charges and bonds for people in jail and I need access to information.

Thanks to Apple Inc., I have found a mobile device and a solution to my most vexing problems. Apple’s iPad is a wonderful device that enables me to have the internet, my client database, court database and calendar in my hand. Everywhere I go I have the tools I need to do my job more efficiently in a device no bigger than a small notebook.

The other day I set up a bond while sitting in a lobby waiting to post a bond. I emailed documents, accepted a credit card payment via my website and received an email confirming payment all while sitting in a jail lobby waiting to post a bond. That used to be dead time for me. Now, I’m working.

The specifics of how I do this border on what I consider to be a trade secret. Those of you who use a Mac will be able to design a similar system in relatively short order. Those of you who don’t … well I don’t know what you could do.

I think that this gives me a competitive advantage in the marketplace. I’m able to quickly respond to inquiries via telephone while on the road, waiting in jails or in courthouses.

Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks?

In Colorado, a bail agent “means any person who furnishers bail for compensation in any court or courts in this state and who is appointed by an insurer by ‘Power of Attorney’ to execute or countersign bail bonds…” They are also called “Insurance Producers” in that they bind policies of insurance for risk in this state. Insurance producers are licensed by the state and make their living selling insurance policies.

A bounty hunter is a person employed by the bail agent to take a person into custody who has failed to abide by the conditions of the bond.

As a bail agent, I am authorized to recover my own “clients” who fail to appear in court. However, I choose to employ recovery agents for the task and devote my time to bail agent activities. The recovery agents I employ must meet standards of professionalism that I learned as a law enforcement officer. The task must be completed quickly, efficiently and in a professional manner. The person will be returned to jail in a business-like manner with as much dignity as the situation permits.

My duties involve answering the phone and responding to questions from family members who are trying to help someone who has gotten into trouble. I meet with the family, complete bond applications, contracts and post bonds at the jails in order to secure the release of the family member in custody.

When not responding to phone calls, I’m tracking appearances in court and the progress of cases. I deal with attorneys and the courts regarding court appearances and the disposition of cases. Many times, I have been able to stop problems from happening by avoiding communication errors and confusion over court appearance dates. Much of my time is spent in the role of counselor in helping people through the system and in dealing with personal issues.

In my view, the role of bail agent is that of a trusted advisor, a friend who can help good people who want to help those in trouble. Image is important because the family of the defendant has a choice as to which bail agent they use to purchase the bond. The bail agent is in a sales and service capacity and must provide good customer service at a competitive price in order to survive.

The bounty hunter comes into play when things go wrong. Image isn’t as important to them because the defendant does not choose which bounty hunter is going to take them back to jail. The only person that they have to persuade is the bail agent who hires them.

A bail agent helps people get people out of jail and ensures that the victim and defendant each get their day in court. The bounty hunter just puts them back in jail when things go wrong.

Bail bondsman charged in business referral scheme

SANTA ANA – A bail bond agent was arrested Thursday and accused of soliciting attorney referrals and inmate business in an illegal bail bond referral scheme.

Ronald Lee Brockway, 50, of Seal Beach, is charged with two felony counts of violating bail license regulations and faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison.

He is being held on $50,000 bail pending his arraignment.

California law prohibits bail bond employees from soliciting bail business from any inmate or incarcerated person, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The law also prohibits bail bond employees from recommending any attorney to any bail bond client, even if no money changes hands.

Brockway is accused of sending numerous e-mails to attorneys soliciting them to participate in an illegal bail bond scheme with his company, Respect Bail Bond, according to the news release.

n his messages, Brockway is accused of suggesting that the attorneys refer bail bond business to him, while offering to refer clients to the attorneys in order to “increase both of our earnings substantially,” prosecutors said.

Brockway is also accused of unlawfully soliciting business from inmates by mass mailing flyers to the Orange County jail containing the name and contact information for Respect Bail Bond. The flyers read, “Get out of jail today by calling now!”

In October 2005, Brockway testified in an Orange County Grand Jury hearing that he had received cash payments from attorney Joseph Cavallo in exchange for referring arrestees to Cavallo’s law practice.

Brockway was not prosecuted in that case because his testimony was needed in the prosecution of other defendants, prosecutors said.

Cavallo was indicted based partly on Brockway’s testimony. Cavallo pleaded guilty on Oct. 12, 2007, to conspiracy to engage in attorney capping, or paying for clients, and an illegal attorney referral scheme. He was sentenced to six months in jail on Dec. 14, 2007.

The District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation began investigating the current case after a private attorney contacted the OCDA to report receiving the e-mail from Brockway regarding the illegal referral scheme.

The call reminded me of the 1972 Carly Simon tune, “You’re so Vain”. The hook in the lyrics goes ” You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.” If anyone thinks that my post was about them, they should probably spend some time in self-examination and work on cleaning up their act. What matters is that we all recognize that the industry has an image problem and all licensed bail agents need to do their part to clean it up.

There are forces at work that are having a negative influence on the bail industry. Pretrial services would like to see bail go away because we are seen as the bad guys. We all need to work together to raise the standards of the industry. A rising tide lifts all of the boats.

My message to those who think that the previous post was about them is we’ve upped our standards…up yours.