Bail During the Holidays
The holiday season is upon us. For most of us, it’s a time of love and celebration. The problem is that holiday plans don’t always go off without a hitch and sometimes a loved one is arrested during the holidays.
Getting arrested during the holidays does more than kill the festive mood. The fact that it’s a holiday means additional stress. Between federal/state days off and staff requesting vacation time leaving everyone shorthanded, the judicial process slows down over the holidays, which means it takes even longer to process cases.
How fast do we act during the holiday season? For our part, we can have the bail bond ready to go in almost no time at all. The court system and jail could delay things, especially if you require a bail hearing before you learn how much bail money you need.
The good news is that if you do require a bail hearing, you can speed things up by contacting us in advance. While we won’t be able to write your actual bail bond until an amount is actually declared, we can have all the paperwork done and signed so that you’re ready to be released on bail almost as soon as the hearing ends.
In addition to 24/7 service, we also provide:
- 0% Interest payment plans
- 24/7 availability
- 20% Discount to veterans
- Phone approvals
- No hidden fees
- Outstanding customer service
The information needed to bail someone out fast includes:
It doesn’t matter if it is a weekday, a weekend, or a Federal holiday, we’re here and we’re ready to provide you with the bail bond you need. Consultations are always free.
Click the Chat Now link or call (800)793-2245.
Stay Safe Going into the New Year
Celebrating at bars, restaurants, clubs, and community events is a lot of fun and a great way to create some spectacular memories, but it can also be dangerous. The good news is that there are steps you can take to protect yourself while making the holiday a memorable experience.
Pick a Group of Trusted Friends
There is safety in numbers which is why you should plan on going out with a group of people who are just as excited about going out as you are and who you trust. Before hitting town, decide on things like who is driving (or if you’re getting a rideshare car or cab home.) Agree that no matter what happens, everyone leaves each location with the others, that no one leaves anyone behind, and have a form of communication ready to go if someone does get separated from the group.
Limit Your Drinking
Yes, you want to have a good time, but don’t drink so much alcohol that you get into a fight with your friends, or your normally good judgment wavers. Know what your limit is and pace yourself accordingly. If you do imbibe in too much alcohol, make sure at least one member of your friend group is sober enough to watch out for you.
No matter what you’re drinking, never leave your drink unattended. If you do have to leave your drink, order a new one when you return to the table. Never drink from a glass that you’ve lost track of, no matter how temporarily.
Stick to Areas You’re Familiar With
New Year’s Eve isn’t really the night that you want to explore new locations. If you do want to go to a New Year’s Eve party that’s in a part of town you’re unfamiliar with, visit that area in the weeks leading up to the party. That gives you a chance to find the safest parking spaces, bus stations, cab stops, and walking routes.
Leave Your Valuables at Home
New Year’s Eve is not the time to be waving around a lot of cash or to show off the nice new jewelry you got for Christmas. Those things make you attractive to thieves and pick-pockets. Limit the amount of cash you have on you and keep your nicer items at home.
Practice Self-Situational Awareness
Self-situational awareness is a great way to prevent yourself from becoming a victim this New Year’s Eve. The entire time you are out, be hypervigilant about your surroundings and the people in them. Pay extra attention to anyone who is taking an extreme interest in you or who seems to appear everywhere you do.
Stay safe and have a wonderful time ringing in 2022.
Most Common Reasons People Are Arrested During the Holiday Season
The holidays are here. For most of us, that means spending time with friends and family members we love. This is a time when we make good memories and spread love.
Unfortunately, not all of us will enjoy the holiday season. Some studies indicate that crime rates increase during the holiday season. There are a few different reasons for the surge of crime. First, people have time off work which gives them more time to get into trouble. Second, many people who don’t usually overindulge will often misjudge how much alcohol they’ve consumed. The increased alcohol content lowers inhibitions and results in them doing things they’d never have considered if they were sober. The third reason crime rates increase during the holiday season is because money is often tight.
Police have noticed that there are certain crimes that surge more than others during the holidays.
Drunk driving offenses are always a problem during the holidays. People get together and want to have a good time which often involves alcohol. The problem is that many don’t plan to spend the night where they are drinking and fail to have a DD at the ready so they slide behind the wheel and ultimately get caught driving while intoxicated.
The best way to make sure you aren’t charged with a DUI this holiday season is to only drink while you’re home, always having a DD at the ready, or arranging to take a cab/Uber home. If you aren’t sure you’ll be able to get yourself home safely, stay away from the alcohol. Staying sober might not seem like fun, but it beats spending a night in jail and dealing with the fallout of a drunk driving arrest.
Retailers report that shoplifting increases during the holiday season. This is likely due to the fact that some people find themselves short of money and unable to purchase gifts for their families. If you’re contemplating stealing a gift this holiday season, please reconsider. Store managers are going to be on the lookout for sticky fingers and with more stores installing elaborate video surveillance systems, the odds of you getting away with the theft are small. Instead of trying to steal a gift, consider making a homemade present.
Domestic violence arrests also increase during the holiday season. There are likely a few different reasons for this. First, stress over finances and strained family relationships can push some people over the edge. Second, people are often home rather than working and the increased contact can result in some pushed buttons. Third, having family and friends around can encourage the victim to report the violent acts which they may not have felt they could do in the past.
Recognizing that emotions run high during the holidays, it’s in your best interest to recognize when your temper is getting short and remove yourself from the situation before you react with violence. It’s better to take a walk or go for a long drive than to get arrested for domestic violence during the holidays.
Stay safe this holiday season!
Using Marijuana While Driving
Yes, you can legally use marijuana for recreational purposes in California, but that doesn’t mean you can use it wherever you feel like it. California lawmakers treat recreational marijuana the same way they treat alcohol. It’s a substance that you’re free to use provided you’re able to do so without potentially hurting other people.
The potential to hurt yourself or someone else is why you’re not allowed to use marijuana while you’re driving.
While most people assume that California’s Vehicle Code 23221 VC only pertains to alcohol, if you take the time to read through it, you’ll discover that marijuana is also addressed. The code states that:
- A driver shall not drink any alcoholic beverage or smoke or ingest marijuana or any marijuana product while driving a motor vehicle upon a highway.
- A passenger shall not drink any alcoholic beverage or smoke or ingest marijuana or any marijuana product while in a motor vehicle being driven upon a highway.
- A violation of this section shall be punished as an infraction.
The fact that using marijuana while driving is considered an infraction is a good thing. It means you don’t have to worry about being sentenced to jail time though you will be fined $250 plus any other costs connected to the infraction.
Don’t assume that because using marijuana while driving is only an infraction you don’t have to worry about getting into too much trouble. The fact that marijuana is involved means the officer who pulls you will likely write additional things you were also doing while driving, such as weaving within your lane or failing to come to a complete stop.
If you’re enjoying marijuana while driving and do get into an accident, the very fact that you were using marijuana at the time, something California lawmakers have forbidden, increases the likelihood of anyone else who was involved in the accident launching a successful civil case against you.
No matter how long your commute is, it really is in your best interest to resist having a relaxing puff of marijuana until you’re safely inside your own house.
What to do When the Police Want to Question You
It doesn’t matter if it’s a phone call asking that you schedule an appointment or if officers knock on your door. Learning that the police want to talk to you is enough to strike terror into your heart, even if you haven’t done anything wrong.
When you learn that the police want to speak to you, you should forget anything you learned from procedural shows. They always imply that you should wait to get a lawyer, that’s a huge mistake.
The police can’t force you to talk to them without a lawyer and contrary to what popular culture might want you to believe, having a lawyer doesn’t automatically make you seem guilty.
Legally speaking, you’re not obligated to speak to the police unless they have presented you with a warrant. However, they aren’t obligated to leave you alone either. If the police believe that you have the information that they need, they can keep contacting you and attempting to set up an appointment. Hiring a lawyer and meeting with them is one of the best ways to resolve the situation quickly.
The main reason you want to hire a lawyer when you’re going to speak to the police is that the lawyer will make sure you don’t say anything that could potentially implicate you and they will also make sure the police follow the strict letter of the law during the questioning.
While you’re waiting for a lawyer, you shouldn’t answer any questions the police try to ask. If you feel compelled to speak, limit your comments to “I’m waiting for my attorney.” While you don’t want to talk to the police without your lawyer, you also don’t want to do anything to offend the police. Don’t slam the door in their face, don’t yell obscenities, and don’t even think about making any threatening comments. It’s in your best interest to stay calm and polite. The only thing losing your temper accomplishes is potentially creating a situation where your behavior inspires the police to press charges against you.
You should also remember that just because the police have asked to talk to you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they think you’ve done something wrong. In many situations, the police simply want to ask you a few questions that will help them build a case against someone else.
Parents Worry About Their Kids Way More Than You’d Think
As a parent, don’t you always have a concern for your children? Even if they are well behaved and honest, parents’ concern for their child continues to linger no matter what. It’s all part of being a parent.
It’s important to always be reminded that any trouble your kid gets into, you as a parent can be held responsible and liable. You may need to pay fines and fees – fees for educational programs required by court, legal fees, and others. To avoid this stress and pain, keep an eye on your child whenever you can, but do not be too overbearing. A part of growing up for a child will include some rebellion, but if they can do this in ways that don’t include legal trouble, you’re golden. Take note of your parenting styles and how your child reacts – where do you need to loosen up? Where can you be more trusting?
No one expects them to be a perfect parent nor is there a perfect parenting guidebook to follow rule by rule. It’s going to be challenging, but it’s also going to be fun – until you get a call from the police (hopefully you don’t).
Now, if your child does get arrested, there is no need to call a bail bonds agency because minors are ineligible for bail (though they don’t stay in jail – they are still released back to the parents). However, if your child is 18 or older and calls you from jail because they indeed need bail help (they are now old enough) please do contact a bail bonds agency.
If you are in need of a bail bond don’t hesitate to call us for help. Absolute Bail Bonds in Victorville will quickly reunite you back together simply call us at (800)793-2245.
What You Should Know When you Need to Make Bail Bonds
When you sign a contract with Absolute Bail Bonds you’re entering into a written agreement with us that states in exchange for us posting your bail and helping secure your release from jail, you agree to appear at all of your scheduled court appearances and follow any other rules the court has attached to your bail.
For many people, a bail bond is the only way they will be released since they simply can’t come up with the money on their own.
If you find that you need to make a California bail bond, here is what you need to know.
Make sure the bail bonds company you’re about to work with is genuinely allowed to write a bail bond for you. There are some scam artists in the bail bond industry who are perfectly content to collect a 10% fee from you and disappear with your money, leaving you sitting in a cell and now in even more desperate financial straits than you were before contacting the felonious bail bonds agency.
Absolute Bail Bonds in San Bernardino has a history that spans several decades. We’re a fully licensed and insured bail bonds industry that already has a relationship with the court and jail system you’re currently dealing with.
Plan on talking to us. When you contact us, you should be prepared for a kind of two-way mini-interview process. We want to make sure that you’re comfortable with our process and we want to make sure that you’re a good risk. We have made this process easy by creating both phone and online consultations. Each of these consultations is completely free. Not only won’t we charge you for the consultation, but we also won’t pressure you into making an immediate decision. You can contact us 24/7.
Be prepared to read through the California bail bonds contract. This is yet another opportunity to ask us questions and make sure that you feel good about making a bail bond. You will have to present a valid ID when signing the contract. If necessary we can ask the booking officer to retrieve the ID from your personal belongings long enough for us to confirm that you are who you say are.
While there are sometimes things that slow down the process, we can usually have you released from jail in practically no time at all. It normally takes less than four hours. Make sure you have arranged for a ride home.
While we don’t require that each of our clients touches base with us every couple of days, we want you to feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We would far rather have you touch base with us than have you accidentally do something that will get you arrested for a bail violation.
For additional information, feel free to call 1-800-793-2245.
When Minors Use a Fake ID
Having a fake id is almost considered a right of passage. There are movies, books, and even songs that feature all sorts of adventures a young man or woman can get into once they’ve managed to acquire a fake id. Most of these adventures involve illegally purchasing alcohol or cigarettes.
Most of these stories don’t show the ugly truth about what would have happened if the main character had been caught using their fake id. The reality is that if you are using a fake id and the police find out about it, there will be some very real, very scary legal consequences.
Business and Professions Code 25661 BPC is the law that covers what happens to minors who possess a fake id. The law clearly states that in California, using an ID that isn’t their own for the purchase of items such as cigarettes, vapes, and alcohol is a legal offense.
While having a fake ID is against the law, minors who are caught using a fake id to purchase items that they aren’t legally old enough to use won’t face felony charges. Presenting a false ID is a misdemeanor in California.
If you’re a minor, don’t assume that just because using a fake ID is a misdemeanor that getting caught with one isn’t a big deal. You will still go through the trauma and embarrassment of being arrested. You will still have a criminal record. You will still face some pretty serious legal consequences.
The first time a minor is convicted of using a fake ID, the maximum sentence they will face is a fine that’s no larger than $250 and up to 32 hours of community service. If the same minor is caught and convicted a second time, the maximum sentence is a $500 fine and up to 48 hours of community service.
In most cases, using a fake ID is just one of the charges young adult faces after they’ve been caught. Most of these cases usually involve additional charges such as minor in possession of alcohol/tobacco and DUI. It’s even possible that the owner of the store where the minor attempted to use a fake ID will decide to pursue a civil case against the minor.
When all is said and done, it’s in everyone’s best interest to obey the letter of the law and not purchase alcohol and tobacco until you’re legally able to do so.
California’s Stance on the Theft of Intellectual Property
These days, both large and small businesses rely heavily on intellectual property.
Cornell Law School defines intellectual property as, “any product of the human intellect that the law protects from unauthorized use by others.”
Investopedia elaborates on that definition and describes intellectual property as “a broad categorical description for the set of intangible assets owned and legally protected by a company from outside use or implementation without consent. An intangible asset is a non-physical asset that a company owns.”
Quick examples of intellectual property include:
- Website content
- Logos
- Slogans
- Sound recordings
- Videos
- Trademarks
- Copyrights
- Trade secrets
- Photos
- Blog posts
- Social media posts
While there may be some confusion about the exact definition of intellectual property, the one thing everyone agrees on is that intellectual property is a major business asset. Every single year millions of dollars get invested in the creation of new and fresh intellectual property.
Like all things of value, intellectual property is highly sought after by thieves.
The problem with intellectual property theft is that many of the people who steal the intellectual property don’t realize that they are doing anything wrong. Many assume that because a slogan, logo, or even pages of website content can be found online that it’s okay to use that content for their own purposes. They don’t realize that copying that entire blog post or using another’s company’s logo and passing it off on their own is just as wrong as stealing a pack of gum from a gas station.
One of the biggest differences between shoplifting from a local store and passing off someone else’s intellectual property as your own is that when you steal from a store, the case will likely only involve the local police. When it comes to the theft of intellectual property, the FBI sometimes gets involved. That’s because in many situations the theft of intellectual property is a federal offense.
While intellectual property theft is a federal offense, according to the FBI, most of the cases they look into involve extreme examples of copyright theft (remember all of the warnings that play at the start of movies,) patent theft, and trade secrets.
Don’t assume that because you took a few pages of content from a competitor’s website and are currently passing it off as your own, that you won’t get into trouble for the theft of intellectual property. The value of the intellectual property has inspired many companies to take matters into their own hands. An increasing number of businesspeople have started talking to lawyers about pursuing both criminal and civil cases against people who blatantly steal intellectual property.
California has the Uniform Trade Secrets Act which officially labels the theft of intellectual property as misappropriation. While this was originally created to protect trade secrets, such as pending patent projects, some businesses feel that it can also be used to protect other forms of intellectual property. If they are unable to use the Uniform Trade Secretes Act to launch a case against you, they could decide to file theft or fraud charges against you.
In addition to facing potential criminal charges for the theft of intellectual property in California, if you’ve used someone’s intellectual property without their permission, the business owner could name you as the defendant in a civil case where they try to recoup any financial losses they sustained as a result of your theft.
Cases of intellectual property theft are on the rise, the best way to make sure no one files charges against you is to make sure that everything you post to the internet or use to promote either yourself or your business is your original work.
Is it Ok for a Parent to Ask for a Parenting Help?
If you think your child needs more help than you are able or knowledgeable of to provide, do not hesitate to call for third party help, be it from another family member, a friend, or a professional. You want the best for your child, and you want to help them in every way possible, but sometimes, it’s just not enough to come solely from you. Don’t be ashamed and don’t think you are not a suitable parent.
It would be worse to see your child end up in serious danger and trouble than to call in another person to help educate and “rehabilitate” them, wouldn’t it? Your child needs to be as responsive and receptive to positive influence and change in order for him or her to develop a goal-oriented, successful future.
Your concern for your child is natural – it’s loving, and it shows you genuinely care. And that you made the extra effort to reach out to another person to help you, well, one day your child will truly thank you for that. You will not regret it and just know that other people are happy and willing to help.
If the kind of help you need is in the form of bail and bail bonds, you can certainly count on Absolute Bail Bonds. Give us a call at (800)793-2245 if you need to talk about the bail process and what we can do to make this less stressful and more affordable for you. We are happy to get you and your child through this together!