Penal Code 166.4
In the event that a person is arrested for violating penal code 166.4, the person is arrested for criminal contempt of court, which is also known as willful disobedience of a court order. This is a misdemeanor offense that has a bail of $20,000. This bail amount is set by a panel of judges on an annual basis and applies to all court systems throughout the state of California, regardless of county.
When a defendant is provided with the opportunity to pay bail in exchange for his or her release from jail, the court is essentially saying that it trusts that the defendant will fulfill his or her legal obligations. However, as a security, the courts will hold onto some financial assets of the defendant until the defendant fulfills his or her end of the deal.
Many times, a defendant appeals to a bail bonding agency for help supplying the courts with these financial assets, or bail. The bail bonding agency will charge the defendant a fee of about ten percent of the total cost of the bail in exchange for its services. However, when it provides its services, the bail bonding agency will supply the courts with the full amount of the bail in the form of a bond.
The bail bonding agencies will then receive a refund of this bond amount when the defendant fulfills his or her legal obligation to the courts. However, in the event that the defendant fails to fulfill a legal obligation, the bail amount will not be returned to the bail bonding agency. As such, the bail bonding agency may seize the defendant’s assets to help cover the cost of the lost bail money.
Additionally, if the defendant does not fulfill his or her legal obligation to the courts, the bail bonding agency may hire a bounty hunter to track the defendant down in order to return him or her to the court. The bounty hunter has the ability to arrest the defendant and take him or her into custody until he or she can be returned to the courts or jail. |
