Bondsmen are in after court’s out [The Frederick News-Post, Md.]

Dec. 31--If someone took New Year's revelry a bit too far this holiday weekend, they could end up behind bars for longer than expected.

A new state law that requires prompt bail reviews by District Court judges sets that review for the next available opening of the court.

Last week, the courts closed for a four-day weekend in observance of Christmas.

That means anyone arrested between Dec. 21 and Christmas Eve who couldn't afford the amount set by a District Court commissioner had to wait until Dec. 26 for a hearing before a judge.

This past weekend, the courts closed for another four-day stretch. Everyone arrested after 1 p.m. Friday won't get a hearing before a judge until Wednesday.

Frederick County bail bondsmen saw varying degrees of business during the long gap over Christmas, they said.

"This holiday was inordinately busy, more so because of how the holiday fell," said Byron Brown, owner of Keys Bail Bonds on Court Street.

Jim Frank, who owns Jim Frank Bail Bonds on David Lane, said he didn't see any increase in business over the holiday. He offered a possible reason: "It seems like on the holidays the courts are a bit more lenient than they normally are. The holidays, generally, are a slow time for bail bondsmen."

Wendall Roberts, of Roberts Bail Bonds Inc., which has offices in Frederick and Hagerstown, said he didn't necessarily see an uptick in calls, but callers were more insistent.

"They want to get their loved ones home, out before Christmas," he said. "People don't like to wait, especially during the holidays."

Brown offered another reason the bond service might see a slight uptick during the holidays: "Oftentimes, it takes a collective of family members to pay the bail. Near the holidays, there's more family around, gathered in one place."

Twenty-seven people were taken for booking at the Frederick County Adult Detention Centerbetween Dec. 21 and 24, jail records show. Eleven of them were released on a written promise to appear in court. Twelve people posted bail on or before Christmas Eve.

At bail review hearings on Dec. 26, Judge W. Milnor Roberts kept the bail amounts set by the commissioners for three people, but reduced it for one woman who posted bail the next day, Dec. 27.

The Court of Appeals will hear reargument of the case that led the General Assembly to create the new bail review rules on Friday.

For some time during the 2012 General Assembly, lawmakers considered changing the rules to open courts for bail review hearings on weekends or during long holidays. That idea faded after lawmakers agreed instead to require police officers to issue citations for some misdemeanor crimes and municipal infractions, ultimately cutting down on the number of people held in local jails on lesser charges.

Several bondsmen in Frederick said the new law is helpful to them, as well as their potential clients. With each bail review, a public defender offers information about the defendant to the judge, including their home address, family situation and work history. Those details could sway a judge to reduce the bail required for their release. It also helps bondsmen decide whether or not to give someone a chance, Brown said.

"I think it's put a lot more transparency in the bonding process. I think it's been a big benefit," he said.

With a second long weekend under way, the bondsmen said they expect the courts and commissioners to be busy.

"There's a lot of partying on New Year's," Wendall Roberts said. "There are a lot more arrests and a lot more calls around New Year's Eve."

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