No one likes being on the wrong side of the law. Being arrested is scary; it destroys your peace of mind and your reputation. But it could be worse; you could be on the run, with a bounty hunter tracking you down!
Bounty hunters do whatever it takes to bring you back so justice can be delivered. Let’s see what bounty hunters do and what laws govern their operations in Indiana:
Who is a bounty hunter?
A bounty hunter is a bail bond agency’s last resort, and every defendant’s worst nightmare. It’s a troubling and risky business that very few individuals qualify for. Every time a defendant escapes in order to avoid showing up for a court hearing, the agency sends bounty hunters to track them down.
These are licensed and skilled professionals—usually with prior military experience or training. Owing to the nature of the job, they’re both tough and ruthless. The bail bond agency hires them to capture the fugitive in exchange for a monetary reward. The reward is known as a bounty, and is typically calculated as some percentage of the bail amount.
What laws govern bounty hunting in Indiana?
Here are some laws that apply to bounty hunters in Indiana:
- Bounty hunters enjoy varying levels of authority in the way they can execute their duties. For instance, whether they can enter a fugitive’s private property depends on state laws. Since bounty hunters can’t legally possess an arrest warrant, in most states, they can’t enter the fugitive’s house. If they do so, they might be charged with trespassing.
- Speaking of Indiana, a bail bond agent can’t interfere with any proceedings taking place in the jail, the sheriff’s house, courthouse, or constable’s office.
3. An individual can only work as a bounty hunter if they’ve undertaken 12 hours of recovery pre-licensing education courses. After doing so, they also need to appear for the ‘recovery agent’ examination, the course outline for which can be accessed and downloaded outline. They must submit a $50 examination fee in order to appear for the examination. Other than that, all applicants must deposit an application fee of $650, payable to the Indiana Department of Insurance or IDOI.
The best way to stay out of bounty hunter trouble is to attend your court hearings on time! At DeLaughter Bail Bonds, we will always keep you updated on the hearing schedule so you don’t miss them.
Get in touch to learn more about our bail bond services in Indiana.
