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It shall be lawful to charge for executing any bond in a criminal case in the county, and it shall be unlawful for any person engaged in the bonding business, either as principal, or clerk, agent, or representative of another, either directly or indirectly, to charge, accept, or receive any sum of money, or other thing of value, other than the regular fee for bonding, from any person for whom he has executed bond for any other service whatever performed in connection with any indictment, information or charge upon which such person is bailed or held in the county. It also shall be unlawful for any person engaged either as principal or as agent, clerk or representative of another in the bonding business, to settle or attempt to settle, procure or attempt to procure the dismissal of any indictment, information or charge against any person in custody or held upon bond in the county, with any court, or with the prosecuting attorney in any court in the county. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 4-4; 1945, ch. 943, § 141D.)
A typewritten or printed list alphabetically arranged of all persons engaged under the authority of the circuit court for the county in the business of becoming surety upon bonds for compensation in criminal cases shall be posted in a conspicuous place in each police precinct, jail, prisoner’s dock, house of detention, and every other place in such county in which persons in custody of the law are detained, and one (1) or more copies thereof kept on hand. When any person who is detained in custody in any such place of detention shall request any person in charge thereof to furnish him the name of a bondsman, or to put him in communication with a bondsman, such list shall be furnished to the person so requesting, without recommendation. It shall be the duty of the person in charge of such place of detention within a reasonable time to put the person so detained in communication with the bondsman so elected, and the person in charge of such place of detention shall contemporaneously with the transaction make in the blotter or book of record kept in any such place of detention, a record showing the name of the person requesting the bondsman, the offense with which the person is charged, the time at which the request was made, the bondsman requested and the person by whom such bondsman was called, and preserve the same as a permanent record in the book or blotter in which entered. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 4-5; 1945, ch. 943, § 141E.)
All persons engaged in the business of becoming surety upon bonds for compensation in criminal cases shall on June 30, 1945 and on June 30 of each succeeding year, submit a report, under oath, to the circuit court for the county showing the total amount of bonds outstanding together with total assets. The making of a false statement in the annual financial report shall constitute a violation of this chapter. The circuit court for the county shall pass rules and regulations governing the operation of such business and may, upon consideration of the financial responsibility of the persons required to make a report, prohibit any person from further engaging in such business in the county. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 4-6; 1945, ch. 943, § 141F.)
Every person who becomes surety upon bonds for compensation in criminal cases shall, within twenty-four (24) hours after becoming surety, mail a copy of the surety bond to the office of the state’s attorney for the county. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 4-7; 1945, ch. 943, § 141G.)
(a) The clerk of the circuit court for Montgomery County shall appoint a clerk to serve as central bail bond clerk for the circuit court and district court for Montgomery County. The central bail bond clerk shall serve at the pleasure of the clerk of the circuit court of Montgomery County and shall be paid such compensation as provided for in said clerk’s budget. The duties of the central bail bond clerk shall include those set forth in this article, and such additional duties as assigned by the clerk of the circuit court or by the administrative judges of the said courts. The bail bond clerk shall give bond for the faithful performance of his duties in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00).
(b) The central bail bond clerk shall maintain all bond agreements and shall be responsible for the funds deposited with the court attendant to such bond agreements. Bail bond agreements and depository funds attendant thereto shall be transmitted to the central bail bond clerk by the judges and clerks of the Montgomery County circuit courts and judges, clerks and commissioners of the Montgomery County district courts. The central bail bond clerk shall keep separate indexes and record books; one (1) for the bonds posted at the district court level and one (1) for the bonds posted at the circuit court level. The central bail bond clerk shall refund all monies upon the satisfaction of the conditions of a bond. The central bail bond clerk shall report periodically to the circuit court and to the district court the status of all outstanding bonds and the bond liabilities of all persons engaged in the business of being surety upon bonds for compensation as set forth in this article. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 4-8; 1945, ch. 943, § 141H; 1971, ch. 765, § 4.)
(a) A judge of the circuit court, a judge of the district court or a commissioner of the district court, may, unless otherwise prohibited by law or rule of court in any criminal or motor vehicle violation, release the defendant on his person recognizance.
(b) In all criminal or motor vehicle violations for which bond has been set, it may be complied with by a defendant or by a private surety acting in his behalf, by the execution of a bond in the face amount thereof and depositing with the clerk of the court or the committing magistrate a sum of money equal to ten (10) percent of the penalty of the bond. A judge or commissioner may increase the percentage of cash surety required in a particular case up to one hundred (100) percent, but in no event shall a cash deposit be less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00). This provision permitting the posting of a percentage of the cash surety required does not apply if the defendant has been arrested for failure to appear in court or for contempt of court. Upon depositing the sum and executing the bond, the person shall be released from custody, subject to the conditions of the said bond. When all conditions of the bond have been performed without default and the defendant has been released from custody in the cause for which the bond was posted, the central bail bond clerk shall return the amount deposited to the person entitled thereto. If the defendant fails to perform any or all of the conditions of the bail bond, it shall be forfeited; and in the event of forfeiture, the liability of the bond shall extend to the full amount of the penalty of the bond set and the amount previously posted as a deposit shall be applied to reduce the liability incurred by the forfeiture. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 4-9; 1945, ch. 943, § 141I; 1971, ch. 765, § 4.)
(a) Any person who owns real estate in Montgomery County may post a property bond. Before the clerk of the circuit court or his deputy or the administrative clerk of the district court or his deputy shall approve or accept such bond, a search of the records of the circuit court, including liens and judgments pertaining to the realty to be offered as security, shall be made by the central bail bond clerk or his designee. Reasonable court costs may be assessed for such search to be paid by the person offering the security. In the absence of negligence or willful dereliction, no clerk or deputy shall be personally liable for any loss sustained upon forfeiture of a property bond. Once the property bond has been posted, the central bail bond clerk shall record the amount of the bond as a lien against the real estate of the person offering the security in Montgomery County.
(b) Nothing in this article shall affect the right of any person to be his own recognizance upon the posting of proper security. (1966, ch. 349, § 1; 1971, ch. 765, § 4.)
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