Bounty Hunter For Hire – Fugitive Recovery Stories

First off… I want to say happy holidays to everyone on this 20th day of April.  Also I want to say hi to my friend Joe J.  Hope your doing well.

Well this next capture was one other (guy) agents love to help me out on.  Of course the girl we bonded out turned out to be an exotic dancer… or stripper as I like to call them.  Really all I knew was her stage name and that she’s working somewhere in the Clearwater area.

So the daunting and horrifying task of hopping strip club to strip club throughout Clearwater began.  For those of you new, don’t ever do this during the weekends… it’ll cost ya a fortune in cover charges, go on Tuesdays if you’re on the West Coast of Florida, or whenever there is no cover charge.

I started with the closest club and worked my way up the highway and back down the other side.  I’d say on about our 6th club, as soon as we walked in the door I spotted her dancing on one of the many stages.  To get a positive ID, I bought a lap dance from her.  As soon as I verified the butterfly tattoo on her left butt cheek, I told her she was under arrest.

Actually, I’m just kidding!  I went to the owner and told him what was going on and he quickly took her to the dressing room and handed her over.

cover charge-$10

Bond recovered-$1,000

Getting paid to hop strip clubs-PRICELESS

This one was one of my very first captures. I guess she, like most people, skipped court because she was on her way to prison if convicted. So after she skipped court I watched her mom’s house for a few days and basically nothing. I checked all family members homes and friends. She just seemed to up and disapppear.

So I manage to pull together some leads and find out she’s in NYC. I find another family member of hers and watch the house. I notice a car in their driveway with a Florida license plate on it. I call the NYPD and we knock. The occupants claim she’s not inside. After some haggling we go in and there she is!!

About a month later she finally arrives back in Florida after being transported from NYC. She is later convicted of numerous felonies and sentenced to 2 years and 11 days in the state prison system. Total bond recovered was $10,000.

I;m going to put up my most recent capture once again. It occured on 6/04/08 at about 4pm.

This one was a low bond and the co-signer actually had already paid his bond to us, so we were not out any money. However, I did really hunt him hard to save the co-signer her money.

I have a lot of respect for someone when they come in and pay the bond after the person has skipped court. When people do that, it’s a sign of a very responsible person. Most people will tell you to go to hell, or something of that nature. So, since this lady lost a thousand dollars because this idiot can’t go to court, I decided to go into full force bountyhunting mode and get her most of her money back.

I had really stirred up the neighborhood and his family for about 3 or 4 days and put lots of pressure on him. He and his girlfriend were allegedly homeless somewhere in the area. I went to his parents house on June 2nd… and his step-dad said that the fugitive does not come around there when he is home. He said “if u see my car ..he’s not here.

I didn’t believe a SINGLE word of anything he said. I know a liar when I see one. So I set up in a nearby location and watch his parents house. Not more than 30 mins after I left his parents, I see the step-dad come out of the mobile home and walk across the street and stop and talk to some people in a back corner of a local bars’ parking lot. Me and another agent pull up in the parking lot and there’s the target in all is glory. I told you the stepdad was full of it!!

The target got up and began to run like the wind. He had approx. a 40 yard head start. I quickly gained about 30 of that back and was on his tail. Unfortunetly, the fugitive ran into a swampy type field where the weeds were up to our necks. The ground was also VERY hilly .. so fearing breaking an ankle or suffering an injury I decided to call the chase off.

Sometimes you have to know when to stop. You don’t win all the battles but as long as you win the war your good.

So on June 4th, 2008 I located the fugitive in an RV with some friends. I called the local police and a deputy and I approached. When we looked in through the screen door of the RV there he was!!

He was taken into custody at tazer point and was EXTREMELY hostile towards me. The deputy also didn’t want to transport him, so we called a transport van in. He was probably upset that his warrant has a zero bond on it, which means you go to jail and can’t get out. Poor fella..lol..

That’s what you get for screwing over people when they try to help you out. His own mother told me she was a bail agent for 20 years and she wouldn’t even bond him out. Then, the co-signer is nice enough to bond him out when his mother wouldn’t, and the guy skips out on her.. what a piece of shit. Total bond recovered was $1,000.

As this one goes, the defendent skipped court on his “record producer” (lol) and wasn’t anywhere to be found. I spoke with his family and they claimed they only knew he was somewhere in a county just north with some friends but didn’t know where that was. I could tell the father wasn’t telling the  truth. I acted like I believed him in case the target was coming and visiting them.

Within a few days I put some good intel together and get a couple block radius of a mobile home he was staying in. I also gathered they supposedly have a meth lab and numerous guns, some of which are shotguns. Bullet proof vest or not a shotgun is not a weapon you want your fugitive to have. You prefer them to just have a butter knife but that rarely happens.

To get back to the story.. I go out driving the area and actually spot the target drive past me in an old, beat-up red mustang. I’m on a very straight and long road so I go down a bit before I turn around in order to stay out of the targets sight. I pull up to a red light and see the fugitive just hopping back in his car leaving a gas station. I follow him and see him pull into a mobile home in the area I had thought he was to be in. I call local police and about 20 mins later they show up.

In the state of Florida, the police vary in the way they assist bondsman from department to department, sometimes even night shift will work differently than day shift!! It is always a crap shoot. Some will go every step of the way with you others will refuse to help at all.

In this instance if I was killed or hurt while trying to capture a wanted felon, the county would actually be held liable, so the police make me stay just outside the mobile home. They call in backup and about 6 deputies armed with AR-15’s approach the trailer. I notice the red Mustang is now gone!! Not good at all, I cannot tell the police to hold off and comeback later. Does not work like that.

So the police raid the house and the target is not there. Just then I notice the Mustang coming down the road. We all take cover and when he pulls in, the target is surrounded at gunpoint. Remind you, he has numerous deputies with AR-15’s pointed at him.

After a brief pause he opens the door and is cuffed up. Others in the trailer were arrested for various charges. Total bond recovered was $7,500.

On a side note, alot of people ask why I call the police all the time. Just about all police prefer you to call and notify them of what is going on and who you’re hunting in their county. If something bad happens and you didn’t notify them, you could have some legal issues to deal with. Also, having the police and just yourself means you have basically unlimited back-up and only yourself to split the reward with. Police cannot and will not accept money.. I’ve tried. Sometimes you feel responsible when an officer gets injured on an arrest that you called them in on, but it happens..

Ok.. this one here will stick with me probably forever. Not because of the defendent but because of the person that helped me with this one.  The basic story is the guy skipped and left his buddy out to dry.

His buddy who has 5 kids put up his own van for him. His friend was really stressing out because we actually took his van and put a FOR SALE signs on it. As bad as we felt, it is a buisness and you have to be able to seperate personal feelings and business.

I really put alot of effort into finding this guy. I didn’t want his friend to lose his van, especially having kids. Eventually, I contact a pastor who says this guy comes in to the church sometimes at night. I explain to the pastor his friend’s situation and the pastor agrees to set him up as long as I don’t arrest him inside the church because of all the kids around. I agree..no problem with that.

So I set up and eventually spot the target pull up in a car with 3 other guys. The target then walks in the church. Unfortunetly, I’m no longer comfortable with arresting him outside given the 3 guys with him and the fact I’m not convinced someone there doesn’t have a gun.

So I walk into the church , I see there is no one around AT ALL and I quickly arrest him and take him out. The only people who saw the arrest was me, the defendent and the pastor.. thats all!!

Later on the pastor calls me and actually starts SWEARING at me for arresting him inside the church. I explain to the pastor the possible danger that lurked outside and the fact no one was around. I also explained to the pastor that he just helped someone who has 5 kids get his only van back after trying to help a friend get out of jail. I would think he would feel good about that. The only bad guy here was the defendent who cared nothing for anyone who helped him out. The pastor dropped the f-bomb on me and said he was calling the cops. Later, I find out the pastor has a criminal past. Geez…. I understand turning your life around but he has not accomplished that yet… he’s a punk who somehow became a pastor.. very sad. Police explained to him that I did nothing wrong and told him to have a nice day. Total bond recovered was $7,500.

This gal here I guess thought she was facing some prison time so she skipped out on court. I didn’t really have much to go on because no one really wanted to help out. So I put some expert tricks of the trade together and get an address for her.

I set up down the road and begin watching the house. About 20 minutes later, I spot the target getting in her car with a small child. I call local police and try to give them my location so they can conduct a traffic stop on her and take her to jail.  Before they can get to us, she pulls into a day care center and walks in with the child. I hide behind a tree and wait for her to come out without the child. When she comes out she’s cuffed and stuffed and transported back to the county jail where she later received a one year sentence minus whatever time served. Total bond recovered was $25,350.

This capture here I thought would go worse than what it did. So as the story goes, the defendant skipped court and was hiding. So once again, I have the general neighborhood he hangs out in.

So I’m driving down in a pretty shitty area of south St. Petersburg and I spot the target walking up the steet with a friend. I figure they are probably going to the store on the corner so I drive up the road and park in the parking lot. Remind you, it’s about midnight in this area and LOTS of shady people are standing around.

So I jump out of my car and hide behind the passengers side door. I wait until the target comes around the corner and jump out screaming and yelling. Him and his buddy hit the ground so quick that the defendent allegedly broke his finger. He’s cuffed and stuffed and returned to the county jail.

Later on I rebonded him and he made all his court appearances the second time around and we’re all good now. Total bond recovered was $3,500.

Well this guy here gets the idiot of the year award. After he skipped court, the co-signer of his bond didn’t know exactly where he was, just where he hangs out at. So I go down to the hood where he’s supposedly roaming around. I drive up and down some streets and then I finally spot him standing along side the street. I pull up to him and he walks up to my window and asks me if I need any pot!! LOL.. what a moron..

If you see a cracker in a white impala driving through your hood, it’s probably not a good idea to try to sell him weed. So as the story goes.. I said “yes, I do need something”, I then step out of the car and cuff and stuff him. Total bond recovered was $2,500. It was a small bond, but I posted this due to his stupidity.

Ok.. this fella here skipped out on court cause he was apparently facing some prison time for a felony DUI and felony driving on suspended license. His father was really nice fella and had no idea where his son was. The only thing he knew was his son was somewhere in a hotel in south St. Petersburg. Ugghh… I hate when I hear that.

So I start driving around.. thats one part I really dislike. So after about 3 hours of driving around I spot a van that resembles his. I also notice its backed into a parking spot and the bumper is practically in some bushes which is a for sure sign someone is trying to hide their license plate from the police. So I run the tag on the van and sure enough, its his van.

I locate the room he’s in and knock. A female answers the door and I barge in. Unfortunetly.. I shouldn’t have gone by myself this time because the room was FULL of people. When you encounter a situation like this, it’s good to be a total asshole and scream and yell. It shows your not scared and you mean business.

All of the people are ordered to get down and they do, and the target is cuffed and stuffed. He’s returned to the county jail and later convicted of felony DUI and driving on a suspended license, and given a 5 year prison sentence. Total bond recovered was $20,750.

After this guy skipped out on court I went down to his grandmas’ house where he was staying at. I call local police due to the fact that the suspect had previously taken them for a high speed pursuit in which he allegedly ran 7 stop signs. So the local police bring the K-9 and about 6 deputies. I raid the house and the suspect isn’t there.

Later on, I find an address for where he might be staying. I call local police again and we pull up to the house. I notice a car in the driveway with both front doors open. I run up on the car and my suspect is sitting in the passenger’s side, smoking a blunt. At first, he doesn’t put his hands up on the dash. Just about to get tazed, he finally decides to listen. One of the deputies drags him out and cuffs him.

In the meanwhile, his brother comes out to see what all the yelling is about. He tried to go back inside when he saw the police, but it was too late. The police run his name and he comes back with felony warrrants. They are both taken to jail and the defendent later recieved a one year jail sentence for driving on suspended license (felony) and aggravated fleeing and eluding. Total bond recovered was $10,500