Helping Those Arrested in San Clemente
There are few cities as beautiful as San Clemente. With breathtaking beaches, such as San Onofre, coastal walking trails, and a vibrant night life, it is obvious why 65,000 and counting people call this city home. We at Balboa Bail Bonds love working in San Clemente, and love working for the people of San Clemente. Sadly, even the most beautiful places can be dangerous.
In fact, when it comes to crime rates, San Clemente is more dangerous than a whopping 60% of other cities in the United States. That is an eye-opening statistic, and it means that the police of San Clemente are likely to arrest first and ask questions later. When police officers have a high crime rate to deal with, they can become incredibly jumpy. That jumpiness may result in you getting arrested for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
However, when it comes to being arrested in San Clemente, you have more options available than you realize. We at Balboa Bail Bonds work hard to provide help to those in need in San Clemente. That includes paying bail any time of day, any day of the week. It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas Day or a Saturday at 2 a.m. -- one of our agents will be there to pay your bail and get you home as quickly as possible. If you need us after an arrest in San Clemente, call our office at (619) 760-2222 today.
Going Through the Bail Process
The bail process usually follows the same steps every time. Due process is necessary to make sure everyone is treated equally under the law. That means that your bail process should follow, or closely follow, these steps:
Your arrest: If you haven’t been officially arrested, then you are not supposed to be held for longer than 48 hours. After that point, if no charges have been filed, you are legally required to be let go. If you are officially arrested, then you will be told your charges, read your rights, and allowed to make phone calls.
Your phone calls: Your first calls should be to family and an attorney. That is because your attorney will want to start on your case as soon as possible, and your family will want to know where you are and how they can help. If you can, you should then call Balboa Bail Bonds. If you are unable to do so, you should ask a family member to do so for you.
Your bail hearing: Within 24 to 48 hours of your arrest, you should be granted a bail hearing. There, the judge will decide how high or low your bail should be set. This is done in a number of ways, including using a bail schedule, looking at your criminal history, and determining how much of a flight risk you are. Once your bail is set, you will then have the opportunity to post it, or have an agency post it for you.
Your release: Once your bail is posted, you will be released to go home, or to a second location if it is determined that you should not be allowed back home. That may happen in cases of domestic violence, or similar crimes. Upon release, you must attend all court-mandated hearings. If you do so, once the trial is over, your bail money will be returned to you, even if you are found guilty.
Facing Arrest in San Clemente
Immediately after your arrest, you will likely be taken to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which is located at 11 Journey, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Police in San Clemente are actually provided by the Orange County Police Department and are not local officers. This means the people patrolling the streets of San Clemente may not know the city or have personal ties to it. This can lead to them being biased against people living in San Clemente or not understanding local culture.
After your arrest, you will be able to post bail. If you do not, after spending between 24 to 48 hours in a holding cell at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, you will be transported to a local jail, potentially the Orange County Central Men’s Jail, which is located at 550 N. Flower St., Santa Ana, CA 92703; or the Orange County Women’s Central Jail, which you can find at 44 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92703. If you do post bail, you will be released and allowed to travel home.
Court and Trial in San Clemente
Following your release, you will begin court proceedings at the local courthouse. In Santa Clemente, that will most likely be the Orange County Superior Court of California, which you can find at 700 W Civic Center Dr., Santa Ana, CA 92701. However, your actual trial may not be held for months after your arrest. There are other court proceedings that must happen first, many of which will require your attendance. If you are late to these required court appearances, or you neglect to show up at all, your bail may become forfeit.
Remember, the purpose of bail is to make sure you do not leave town in order to evade your potential conviction. By not showing up to required court proceedings, you are telling the court that you do not intend to go to your trial, either. If your bail becomes forfeit, it means the money will be taken by the court, and you will be returned to jail. While you will most likely have the opportunity to post bail again, a new judge will set a new bail, meaning it could cost you more to get out of jail the second time. On top of that, if you worked with a bail bond agency, you will owe them the forfeited bail, since the money was seized by the court.
If you are going to be late to a court proceeding, or are unable to go at all, you should contact your bail bond agent immediately. All of our agents have close relationships with all local courts for just that kind of situation. While there is never a guarantee that your agent will be able to keep your bail from being forfeit, they will do their best to make sure that you stay out of jail and your bond is not seized by the court.
Expect Excellent Help from Balboa Bail Bonds
At Balboa Bail Bonds, you are so much more than a client to us. Other bail bond companies only check in when their payments are due. At Balboa, we offer round-the-clock support. We know that being arrested is a stressful and frightening experience, and you may be left with countless questions. That is why we do our best to make ourselves available to those who need our help.
Even better, we offer a low 10% premium, and a fast, flexible payment plan. This means that you only owe 10% of your original bail amount. If your bail was $7,000, then all you have to pay us is $700 once the bail has been returned by the court after your trial. Of course, we understand that not everyone can afford to hand out $700, which is why we also work with clients to make sure that their repayment plan works with, not against, their wallets.
The truth is, at Balboa Bail Bonds, we care. We got into this business in order to help others, and that is exactly what we try to do. If you need compassionate, dedicated, end experienced bail aid in San Clemente, call our agency at (619) 760-2222. We are ready to help, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.