As I had mentioned rather recently, my son, a 33 yr old A got busted for breaking into a little store and stealing cigarettes and beer.  He was charged with two felonies as a result.  His bond was 10,000.00.  This was on Dec. 1st.  I let his ass sit in jail for about 2 weeks and then put up the 1,000.00 it cost thru a bondsmen to get him out, just before Christmas.  I just felt that as a father, I had not really been there for him as a child, due to my own ism's,... and I never had to do anything like this with him before, so... I took the plung.  I sold a car that I was rather proud of owning and used some of the money from it to bail him out.  I told him I would swallow the 1,000.00 bondsmen cost, but that if he ran... I would not swallow the other 9,000.00 of his bond.  I would hunt him down and put his butt back in jail with a quickness.

Well, I guess he didn't believe me.  About 3-5 days later, he ran.  From North Carolina to Texas (where he is from).  He missed two scheduled court appearances, which resulted in the bond being forfeited by the courts, and two new warrants for Failure to Appear issued.  The bondsmen was starting to hound me a little bit, not much but just enough to let me know that it was time to pull out all stops and get him back in jail.

I made a few phone calls and between his ex-wife and his mother (who I still have a good repore with), and a aunt, it took me all of 30 minutes to obtain an address on him, just outside of Houston, Tx.  I let them know that if he turned himself in, he would fair better in court, than if he had to be picked up in Texas and transported back here.  Of course he would not be able to get another bond or it would be so high it would be outside his reach, so he'd have to sit in jail until the court decided what to do with him, (which I'm guessing will involve his doing some time because he has a B&E conviction in Texas on his record and the courts really frown on two time offenders.) Each of them stated they spoke to him about his turning his self in and he was adement that he was not going to do that, if North Carolina really wanted him, "they would have to come find me, dad is just afraid that they will try to take his car as payment for the bond, that's all he cares about, not me."

I try to be a man of my word, and I had clearly told him... run and I'll hunt you down and put you back in jail.  I would not allow his cigarette and beer stealing to cost me the other 9,000.00 to the bondsmen or the courts.  I did not tell him I had sold my proud and joy car to get him out of jail.  I lied.  I told him it was in a shop getting some work done on it, when he asked where it was after I had gotten him out.  I guess I didn't want him to feel bad about everything, during the holiday season, and I didn't want to make myself look like a victim to his behavior or a martyr either.

Anyways, I called the bondmen and told him that the window of opportunity was very small to get to him right now.  There's a telegram, a telephone and telafamilymember... and the word spreads.  If he finds out they have revealed his whereabouts to me, he'll dart and run again.  The bondsmen, opted to hire a bounty hunter in Houstonand have my son picked up immediately at that location.  Within 12 hours my son was in cuffs and being transported to Alabama, where the bondsmen's office would meet them and continue the transport back into North Carolina.  

He was booked into the county jail here yesterday morning.  Of course, he will think its my fault, that I did him wrong... blah, blah, blah... but I am a man of my word and I do not have to drown in his disease with him.... As I told his mother.. He bought the ticket to the show he is watching now, I didn't sell it to him or even suggest he buy one for this show... its his show, he is the star in it. I could suggest a name for the show though..."Stupid is, what stupid does".

John