What Do Bondsmen Do?

DURHAM — After Thursday's incident involving armed bail bondsmen running through a school playground, many people are wondering what exactly a bondsman does.

Here is how the system works:

If a defendant does not have the money to make bond, he can go to a bail bondsman for help. The defendant usually pays a 15 percent commission to get out of jail.

The bondsman promises the court that he will pay all of the bond if the defendant does not show up.

If a defendant jumps bond, the bondsman has the legal authority to hunt him down, but he must be licensed with the state's Department of Insurance.Four bondsmen were chasing Lakendris McAdoo at Efland-Cheeks Elementary School Thursday. He jumped bond on three misdemeanor charges: possession of marijuana, trespassing and resisting an officer.

Durham bondsman Barry Jones says that it was wrong for the bondsmen to go onto school property with weapons, and he worries that the incident may reflect badly on the industry.

"I think it could possibly even cause the General Assembly to take another look at it," he said.

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