No. If you employ the services of a bail bondsman, you would contact him/her just after arrest or after a bond has been set. You (usually via family members) would pay them 10% toward your bond amount, and they, in turn, secure your release. If you show up for court as required, your bond is released, the bondsman keeps his 10%, and you complete your trial. If you do not show up for court, the state comes back to the bondsman for the full amount of bond. In that case, the bondsman comes after you for it (usually via bounty hunter).
In California, you are free from obligations to a bail bondsman once you have completed your court appearances and the case is closed. This can happen after you have been sentenced, but it can also occur if your case is dismissed or if you are acquitted.
In order to become a bail bondsman you need to receive your bail bondsman license and take certain exams and need to be approved by the insurance department to be a recognized bail bondsman.
A bail bond is an insurance policy purchased to guarantee the appearance of a defendant in court. Once the defendant has been sentenced, the trial is over and any bail bonds are generally "exonerated" by the court, meaning that the insurance company is no longer responsible for guaranteeing the defendant's appearance. The only reason to get a bail bond after sentencing would be if the case was on appeal, and the defendant was trying to stay out of jail while the appeal is pending. That said, if you still owe the bail bondsman money, by all means YES! You need to pay the bondsman's fee (called the premium).
my bail go revoked and I hit the bail bondsman's car in the process
Yes. He put his moneyup for you, didn't he? In simple terms you 'rented' his money for your cash bond, for which he is entitled to payment for the length of time he had it 'at risk.'
Yes, a bail bondsman can travel to other states to apprehend fugitives. The courts, in fact, expect a bail bondsman to do exactly that when necessary.
No. When posting bail (bond) you pay a bondsman an amount negotiated usually 10% of the total bail amount. Example $50,000 bail, you pay the bondsman $5,000 then put up co-lateral worth $50,000 and the bondsman is the one to pay the State/Court the balance. If the person on bail forfeits (skips out) on the bail then the collateral becomes property of the bondsman. The original $5,000 is how the bondsman earns his living.
Yes. When you use the services of a bail bondsman you are, in effect, "renting" his services to pay your bond. Whether you are exonerated or not, it is a legitimate debt and you still need to pay the the bail bondsman for the use of his money.
Only residents of Indiana can be legally licensed as a bail bondsman.
Ten percent of the bond amount total set by the court.
The answer to this questions varies from state to state. In some states five percent bail bonds would be legal. In others in others (such as Indiana) bonding out folks at five percent would be a felony.
Bail bondsman are regulated by each state. In most states the minimum age to become a licensed bail bondsman is 18.