Former Bail Bondsman and DA Making News For Money Problems

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins defaulted on payment of his home loan two years ago, according to county records.

The default on the loan by Watkins and his wife, Tanya, on their DeSoto home occurred in November 2008. County records show that a lien was placed on the property that same month.

The documents do not say how Watkins defaulted or how much money was owed. According to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, the home was never placed on the list for foreclosure, which would mean that the necessary payments were made.

The couple originally borrowed $559,200 for their home in 2003, the records show. The house is appraised at $549,900, according to the Dallas Central Appraisal District.

Watkins, a Democrat who is seeking re-election in November, declined through his representatives to comment about the documents.

Eric Celeste, his campaign spokesman, also refused to discuss the default matter, saying via a text message: "We respond to legitimate questions about making Dallas safer or campaign issues, not personal political attacks."

Danny Clancy, Watkins' Republican opponent, declined to comment.

The 2008 default was not the first time unpaid bills were a problems for Watkins.

In December 2007 – 11 months after he was sworn in as district attorney – his law license was briefly suspended when he forgot to pay his dues to the State Bar of Texas. The license was reinstated after he paid the dues and penalties. Dallas County cases were not affected.

Last August he was sued by Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages, which alleged he owed $1,249 for advertising. The company had initially sued Watkins in 2006, saying he owed nearly $16,000 of a $34,000 bill for advertising, according to the lawsuit. That lawsuit was dismissed after Watkins promised to pay the bill, but when he didn't follow through, the company sued him again. That suit was also dismissed, but it is unclear why.

Watkins' former bail bond business, Fair Park Bail Bonds, has also been the subject of complaints, records show.

Investigators found six possible violations to the state code that governs how bail bond companies can operate. A complaint filed against the company in 2004 was never resolved because Watkins closed the business before the complaint was heard.

In the six years before his run for district attorney in 2006, Watkins had three liens related to more than $100,000 in income tax disputes. They have since been paid.

The city also sued Watkins for defaulting on a $20,000 mortgage loan. Watkins paid off the loan after the suit was filed.

Watkins, who earns $125,000 a year, has continually said the lawsuits and complaints are irrelevant to his role as district attorney.

By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News

Las Vegas Bail Bondsman Sentenced

Robert Suckoll made headlines as a Las Vegas bail bondsman for forcibly entering a residence in an attempt to locate a fugitive in 2007. The problem is, he wasn't at the right house.

Robert Suckoll, 39, and Diego Rodriguez, 25, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and performing an act in reckless disregard of persons resulting in substantial bodily harm, both felonies; and conspiracy to commit a crime, a gross misdemeanor. They were sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years' probation after pleading guilty. They were immediately taken into custody after the sentencing hearing.

On August 5th, The Las Vegas Sun Journal reported that "according to the terms of the sentence handed down by District Judge Doug Smith, both men owe about $1,400 in restitution, they must take impulse control classes, stay away from weapons, drugs and alcohol, and have no contact with the victims or each other."

The article went onto say "prosecutors, who did not recommend jail time as part of the guilty plea agreement, had asked the judge to order Suckoll to surrender his bail bonds license, but Smith denied that request. Defense attorneys are expected to ask Smith to reconsider the jail sentence at a hearing scheduled for Aug. 30."

Suckoll also got headlines in 2007 for being a party to the bean bag shooting of a nightclub bouncer while trying to apprehend another fugitive.

Even though, defense attorneys fought hard for Suckoll to keep his bail bonds license, the funny thing is he has left the Las Vegas bail bonds industry. He is now in the pest control business.

Clearing Up Some Common Bail Bonds Myths

The thought of getting arrested is just crazy to some people. However, it is crazier to think that so few people have an understanding of the judicial process until they find themselves immersed in it. Consequently, most people only have a vague notion about the bail bonds system. Therefore, there are a lot of misconceptions about the bail bonds and bail bondsmen.

The first bail bond myth is that bail and bail bonds are the same thing. Bail is the amount of money a court requires to release a defendant after being arrested. A bail bond is a surety bond provided to a court by a bail bondsman to secure the release of a defendant. If the accused fails to appear, the bail bond is a promise that the bondsman will pay the full bail amount.

Another very common myth about the bail bonds industry relates to something that is commonly advertised. Bail bondsmen promote their businesses heavily in online, print, television and just about anywhere else you can imagine to attract customers. If you have seen their advertising you would think it was a price sensitive industry. Tag lines and slogans claim things like "Cheapest rates" or "budget pricing". However, state laws set the fees bail bondsmen can charge, so pricing is actually the same across the board no matter who is hired to provide the service.

Fueled by television images and realty shows, many Americans mistakenly believe bounty hunters and bail bondsman are one in the same. A bail bondsman, for a fee, helps defendants gain their release after being arrested for a crime. If that defendant fails to appear in court, the bail bondsman could be forced to forfeit the entire bail amount. They will commonly in turn hire a bounty hunter to retrieve the missing defendant and return them to custody.

Since only a small percentage of our society is ever arrested, hopefully the misconceptions associated with bail bonds hopefully won't affect many people. Although, if you are one of the unfortunate few that are arrested, having the correct information about bail bonds will be invaluable.