Grand Forks Herald, N.D., Marilyn Hagerty column [Grand Forks Herald, N.D.]

April 08--He does what it takes.

Mike Dobmeier is a bondsman. He will provide bail to get people out of jail until their trials. And if somebody jumps bail, he will round them up.

He's trailed jail bond jumpers back from California to Georgia and from Canada to Texas. He has slept in his truck. With his brother-in-law, he has driven 19 hours straight.

They found one bond jumper standing outside the jail in Pigget, Ark., when they got there.

"We trussed him up with handcuffs, a belly chain and ankle bracelets. We had a brief conversation about how easy or hard this trip could be, depending on his behavior. We drove straight back to Grand Forks.

"He never gave us a problem. We did get some attention at gas stations and rest stops because he couldn't move without rattling the chains."

Looking back, Dobmeier said, "He actually is one of the bail jumpers who thanked me for coming to get him. Being on the run weighs on their minds. They are constantly looking around corners and over their shoulders, expecting to be arrested."

Among the few

Dobmeier is well known in Grand Forks. He was national commander of the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) from 1999 to 2000 and is now national judge advocate. He works with his son, Mark Dobmeier, who is known in this area for his skill at car racing.

Now 61, Dobmeier says the bondsman business is changing. Judges have been using more conditions of release, such as drug testing, electronic monitoring. He learned long ago not to tell a judge how to set bonds. But, he says if the trend continued it no longer will be feasible to provide 24/7 service.

He hopes judges here will see surety bail as a useful tool in their arsenal and that the pendulum will swing back to the center.

Dobmeier is one of a few bondsmen in this area. His father, the late Kenneth Dobmeier, was a door-to-door accident insurance salesman until 1954. Then he established his independent insurance business in the basement of his home on 11th Avenue North. In 1959, he incorporated is agency and added the sideline of bail bonds.

Mike Dobmeier isn't sure, but he thinks his father was the first one in the state.

The elder Dobmeier died in 1961. Mike Dobmeier returned to Grand Forks in 1972 after three years of Navy service and continued in the business.

Responsibilities

<p>His time now ranges to about half between selling insurance and bonding from his office at 1604 S. Washington St. He is available for calls from the jails when people need help. And people awaiting trial will call, he says, when they are sick and tired of sitting there.

"Once you post bond, you are on the case until it's completed. You go to the jail. Interview the defendant," Dobmeier said. "You basically get their background."

He notices whether they will look him in the eye. And he notices if they answer questions the same way when asked several times.

He finds the best risks are those who get some family involvement. When bond is posted, the person charged with a crime is turned over to the bondsman.

"Less than two percent fail to make an appearance on the court date. When that happens, the court usually notifies us and we get them in. Sometimes things drag out," Dobmeier said. "If a person pleads not guilty and asks for a jury trial, it could be months."

Getting his man

Mostly, but not always, he posts bond for men. Occasionally it's for a woman.

He once went to Phoenix to find two inmates who had skipped out on their court appearances here. The inmates had been moved around and missed meals. And he said, "They were happy to come back to the Grand Forks jail."

More recently, a drug dealer jumped bail. "We got a hit from Ft. Smith, Ark., that they had him. Immediately we drove down there to bring him back, but it turned out not to be our man. He had sold his identity to an illegal alien.

"A year later, the actual guy was arrested at Leavenworth, Kan. We picked him up and he talked nine straight hours coming home. He actually had sold his identity several times.

"He told us how he could pick up a bale of marijuana in McAllen, Texas, for $800, bring it here and turn it into $8,000. Then he would buy several used cars here and take them back to Texas....

"But again, he was tired of looking over his shoulder and was glad it was finally over."

Reach Marilyn Hagerty at [email protected] or at (701) 772-1055.

A useful service

Mike Dobmeier believes the bondsman provides a very useful service:

--To the defendant who might otherwise not be able to post bond because pre-trial release allows them to make a living, provide for their families and aid in their own defense.

--To the courts by reducing the number of non-appearances and facilitating the next appearance in the case of confused dates and times.

--To the taxpayers because they are relieved of paying for the incarceration time between the arrest and trial. And when there is a failure to appear, the bondsman pays the court.

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(c)2012 the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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