You’ve gotten the phone call no one wants and now you have to act. A family member or friend has been arrested and unless they can make bail, they’ll sit in a jail cell until their scheduled court appearance.
Experience and reputation
If you’re faced with this stressful situation, you need to rely on a bail bondsman with experience and a solid reputation, according to Mark Longworth, CEO and owner of Longworth Bail Bonds in Newton. “You want a bail bondsman who is known for coming through when you need them, which is exactly what we do,” he said. With a staff of eight highly trained and skilled bond agents, Longworth Bail Bonds can secure a defendant’s release quickly, usually in about an hour, Longworth said.
Previously with Ben Huss Bail Bonds for 27 years, Longworth opened Longworth Bail Bonds in 2021. “We have offices in Catawba and Lincoln counties, and we’re licensed to post bail anywhere in North Carolina,” he said.
The bail process
Bail is the amount of money a defendant must pay to be released from custody until their court date. A judge weighs several factors in setting the bail amount, including the risk that the defendant will flee, the type of crime alleged, and whether the defendant is considered dangerous and a threat to the community.
“In North Carolina, there are three ways to get out of jail – cash, property or commercial bail bonds,” Longworth said. “Most people don’t have enough cash or property to get out of jail, and that’s where we help them.” Longworth Bail Bonds pays the total bail amount and guarantees that the defendant will show up in court, which allows the defendant to get out of jail.
Longworth Bail Bond charges a fee up to 15% of the total bond amount, Longworth said. “That is way less than what people would pay for the total bail amount,” he said. “Bail is not punishment. It’s to guarantee that you’ll show up in court.”
If a defendant skips bail, meaning they fail to make a scheduled court appearance, Longworth Bail Bonds — or whoever posted the bail bond — is liable for the full bail amount. Longworth said his company has a fugitive recovery team with coast-to-coast contacts who will find anyone who attempts to skip bail.
Turning situations and lives around
The need for bail knows no economic, race, creed or class bounds. “We help everyone, including people from the richest families or someone who doesn’t have a dollar,” he said. In his nearly 30 years as a bail bondsman, Longworth derives satisfaction from helping people turn their lives around.
“Many of our clients express appreciation for us,” he said. “To be able to get out of jail when they didn’t have the money makes a big difference in people’s lives. They can show up in court and do what the court tells them to do. Sometimes that means they’ve been able to get off of alcohol or drugs and change their lives 100%.” He added, “If they had been stuck in jail, they wouldn’t have had the chance to turn things around.”
If you need help posting bail, visit the Longworth Bail Bonds website or call 828.464.2127.
