Huntington Beach Bail Bonds

Getting arrested is not a pleasant thing- and if you’ve learned that someone you care for has been arrested in Huntington Beach, you’ll want to contact a bondsman as quickly as possible. If you need professional help in getting someone out of the Huntington Beach Jail fast, call our office today to speak with a licensed bail agent.

Regardless as to whether you think the defendant might be released on their own recognizance (OR), it’s important to contact a bondsman as soon as you learn they’ve been arrested. The Huntington Beach Jail is a smaller facility that’s not designed to hold defendants for an extended period of time. If the jail isn’t going to release your loved one on OR, and bail bonds aren’t posted quickly, the defendant could be transferred to the Orange County Main Jail. Not only does this extend the amount of time they’ll be behind bars, it will also delay the bail bonds process by at least 12-hours, if not longer.

The team at Bail Bond Professionals has more than 40 years combined experience in the industry. Our agents are experts in the field and they understand what needs to be done to get bail bonds posted fast. Working with an inexperienced agent is the last thing you want to do in a situation like this. Inexperienced agents often make mistakes, and in some cases, they’ve been known to show up at the wrong jail. This can also delay the defendant’s release by hours. If someone you care for has been arrested, you shouldn’t trust just anyone to get them out of jail. It’s imperative that you work with a licensed, seasoned professional who understands how to get the job done right.

Our company has a stellar reputation within the region and we’ve worked with a number of high-profile clients and defense attorneys. Call our office today to learn why we’re the most word-of-mouth referred bail bonds company in Southern California.

What you need to know about arrests in Huntington Beach, California

Arrests in Huntington Beach can happen at any time, day or night, 365-days a year. The city is served by the Huntington Beach Police Department, and when a suspect is taken into custody, they’ll be transported to the local jail to be booked and processed.

The booking process in Huntington Beach is the same as it is in other parts of the country. For example, when the defendant arrives, they’ll be placed into a holding cell until the jailer is ready for them. When their name gets called, the jailer will start by asking them to provide some basic information, such as their full name, their date of birth, their social security number, their address, and the type of work they do.

The defendant will also be photographed and they’ll have their fingerprints taken. In the past, fingerprints were taken using an ink pad and a sheet of paper. Today, fingerprints are taken electronically. Once a defendant is fingerprinted, their prints will be sent to the Department of Justice, so the DOJ can check them for warrants.

You should also know that just because a defendant has completed their intake process with the jailer, that is not to say the jail is ready to accept a bond. The Huntington Beach Jail will not allow anyone to post bail bonds until their warrant check comes back, and it typically takes the DOJ between 4-6 hours to process those results.

If the defendant does not have warrants, their bail will be set according to the crime they’ve been charged with. For example, if a defendant has been charged with penal code 243( e)(1) PC, also known as misdemeanor domestic violence, their bail will be set at $10,000. On the other hand, if the jail learns the defendant has one or more outstanding warrants, their bail will be higher. Each warrant will have its own bail amount. Using that same example, if warrant A has a bail of $20,000, and warrant B has a bail of $5,000, the defendant’s total bail would be set at $35,000.

If a defendant does not have warrants, they’ll need to post one bail bond. If they do have warrants, they’ll need to post one additional bond for each warrant that they have.

Reasons to call a bondsman when someone is arrested in Huntington Beach

When someone is arrested, they typically have two options when it comes to getting out of jail. The first option involves contacting a bondman. When you work with a bondman you won’t need to pay the full bail amount. Instead, your cost will be 10%. If bail has been set at $50k, the cost to purchase a bail bond will be $5,000. If you’re unable to pay that amount up front in full, the bondsman may be able to help you with a bail bonds payment plan. Additionally, the bondsman’s fee is considered to be earned in full at the time the defendant is released from jail. That fee is non-refundable no matter what happens with the defendant’s case, so it’s not something you’ll get back.

The second option to get someone out of the Huntington Beach Jail is to pay cash bail. In this instance, the person who wants to arrange the defendant’s bail bonds will need to take the full bail amount, in cash, to the jail. For example, if the defendant’s bail has been set at $50,000, you’d need to bring $50,000 in cash to the jail. You’ll also want to keep in mind that there is no 10% option with the jail, and the jail does not accept bail bonds payment plans.

Another difference between bail bonds and cash bail, is that whereas the bondsman’s fee is non-refundable, cash bail often is. As long as the defendant goes to court as often as needed to finish their case, the cash bail will be refunded to the person who posted it (less administrative fees), once the case is over. Depending on the complexity of the case, this could take 1-2 years, if not longer.

On the other hand, if the defendant decides to skip bail because they want to evade prosecution, the cash that was posted will be forfeited to the court.

How do bail bonds work?

A common question we get from our clients relates to the cost of the bond. If bail is set at $20,000 and our fee is $2,000, when will they have to pay the rest?

As long as the defendant goes to court and finishes their case, no other monies will be due to our company. (However, if the court orders the defendant to pay a fine or a penalty, that is separate from the bail bonds fee.) But, if the defendant flees because they’re worried about being prosecuted, you could be on the hook for a lot more than the cost of the bond.

If a defendant misses court a bench warrant will be issued for their immediate arrest. If they missed court because they’re sick, they got caught in traffic, their car broke down, or there was an act of God, such as an earthquake, mudslide, or other type of natural disaster, that’s one thing. You’ll want to contact our company right away and ask for something called a Reassumption of Liability. This is a document that you’ll post with the court. It will ensure that the defendant’s warrant is lifted and that their court hearing is rescheduled.  

If a defendant misses court willfully, the bondsman and the person who cosigned for their bail bond will have a set amount of time to get them back into the system. If they fail, the defendant’s bond will be forfeited, and their entire bail amount will become due to the court as a penalty. The responsibility to pay that penalty will ultimately fall to the person who cosigned for the defendant’s bail bonds.  It’s also worth noting that if the bondsman needs to hire a fugitive recovery agent, aka a bounty hunter, the cosigner will also be liable to pay for that expense as well.

Suffice to say, if the defendant is someone that you just met, barely know, haven’t talked to in years, is your friend’s or adult child’s brand new girlfriend or boyfriend, or they’re a friend of a friend and you’ve never met them before, you should not cosign for their bail bonds.  

Will I need collateral for Huntington Beach bail bonds?

A second common question we get relates to collateral, and many people are concerned that they can’t post bail bonds without it. Whether you’ll need to post collateral depends entirely on the type of the bond that you need. For example, if you need help posting federal bail bonds, you will need to post collateral regardless as to the size of the bond. Federal bail bonds can be collateralized in cash or with real property, such as a house or condominium.

In terms of the collateral requirement for state bail bonds, you’ll only need collateral if bail has been set at $100,000 or more. If bail has been set at $150,000, $250,000, or $1 million dollars, you absolutely need to post collateral. Most of our clients use real property to collateralize large bonds. Also, worth mentioning, is that we cannot collateralize large bonds with pink slips to cars. The amount of the collateral you post needs to be equal to, if not more than, the size of the bail bond.

When collateral is posted, our company will hold onto it until two conditions are met. First, when the defendant’s case is over, the judge will need to exonerate the bail bond. This relieves our company from liability. Second, the bail bond premium will need to be paid off. If you did not pay the bail bond fee in full and you opted for a payment plan, your payment plan balance will need to reach zero.  Once the bond is exonerated and your payment obligations have been met, our company will release your collateral.

Who gets bail at the Huntington Beach Jail?

All defendants arrested for non-capital offenses (i.e., crimes that are not punishable by the death penalty if convicted) will be granted bail.  If your friend or loved one has been accused of domestic violence, domestic battery, assault, DUI, theft, or other types of crimes, you can contact a bondman to arrange bail bonds.

However, some defendants who have outstanding warrants (especially individuals who have out-of-state warrants) may not be allowed to post bail immediately. If your loved one has been accused of a non-capital crime and you’ve learned they have a no-bail hold, a bondsman might still be able to help you. Additionally, if your loved one is on probation or parole, they may also have a temporary no-bail hold. When defendants do have this type of hold, the only person that can lift it is a judge.

How the bail bonds process works

Bailing someone out of the Huntington Beach Jail isn’t nearly as complex as you might think. Although some people assume they’ll have to drop everything and drive to a bondsman’s office immediately, this simply isn’t the case. This can be great news for the cosigner if their loved one was arrested late at night, on a holiday, or while they are at work.

Our company has streamlined the bail bonds process and we offer our clients the option of online bail bonds. We can always arrange to meet you in person, if that’s what you prefer, however, most people find that online bail bonds are the fastest, easiest, and most discreet way to get someone out of jail fast.

When you call our office we’ll start by asking you if you know when the defendant was arrested (i.e. was it 10 minutes ago, last night, or a week ago), what they’ve been charged with, and if you know the circumstances surrounding the arrest. If you don’t know their charges or bail amount, we can help you look that up.

From there, we’ll get some basic information about both you and the defendant, such as your full names, dates of birth, your home addresses, and the type of work you do. We will also want to know how long both of you have lived in the area, whether you have family that lives nearby, where you were born, and whether the defendant has a prior history of arrest. If they do have a prior arrest record, we’ll want to know if they have other open cases that are pending.

Once we’re done with the application questionnaire, we’ll ask you how you plan to pay the bail bonds premium. Our company accepts debit and credit cards, including Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express. If you need a bail bonds payment plan we can help you understand what your options are. From there, we can process your payment over the phone. We will also send you the bail bonds documents as an e-sign form. You can sign from your smartphone or tablet from anywhere you have an Internet connection.

Once your documents are signed and payment arrangements have been made, an agent will be dispatched to the jail to post your loved one’s bail bonds.  As we’ve noted earlier, the sooner you post bail bonds, the better, not only will this help your loved one get out of jail fast, it will minimize the risk that they’ll be transferred to the Orange County Main Jail, which can delay the bail bonds process by 12 hours or more.

Why are people arrested in Huntington Beach?

People get arrested in Huntington Beach for a wide variety of reasons. For example, people accused of crimes, such as petty theft, grand theft auto, or burglary, will be arrested and booked at the local jail. The HBPD also arrest people for domestic violence, assault, vandalism, money laundering, and conspiracy, among other crimes. Individuals pulled over on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs may be arrested and charged with DUI.

Our company posts bail bonds for a wide range of state and federal charges. Examples include the following:

• Assault
• Battery
• Burglary
• Carjacking
• Criminal mischief
• Domestic violence
• Drug distribution
• Drug possession
• DUI
• Evading an officer
• Extortion
• Felon in possession of a firearm
• Hate crimes
• Hit and run
• Obstructing justice
• Public intoxication
• Resisting arrest
• Terrorist threats
• Weapons charges
• And many more

Experts you can trust

Our team of expert agents is here to help you at any time, day or night, weekends and holidays included. We have more than 40 years combined experience in the industry, and we understand what needs to be done to get people out of jail fast. For more information about how bail works, how Huntington Beach bail bonds work, or to learn if you qualify for a bail bonds payment plan, call our office now to speak with an expert. All calls are handled confidentially and bail bonds consultations are always free. Call us today to learn why we’re the top-rated bail bonds company in Orange County.