By Joseph Marks, Tribune staff writer

&8220;It’s good to have a friend on the outside&8221; is the advertising slogan of Absolute Bail Bonds, a Minneapolis-based company with a southern Minnesota office located in Albert Lea. A friend is exactly what Jay Johnson, who manages Absolute’s local office tries to be to the roughly 250 to 300 people in Freeborn County his office helps keep out on bail bonds while they are awaiting trial at any given time.

&8220;After I got into this business, I started realizing how important it was for people to be bailed out,&8221; he said. &8220;I’ve never been in trouble or had friends in trouble to the point of being in jail. I started understanding the terrible impact it has on people to be incarcerated, the financial destruction caused to mortgages, jobs, credit, everything to people that haven’t been convicted of a crime.&8221;

Absolute Bail Bonds employs about 80 bail bonds agents statewide, many of whom are also licensed in Iowa and North Dakota.

Court proceedings for possession of drugs or driving under the influence can take months or even years, according to Johnson, far too long for people with jobs and families to sit in jail. A judge can order pretrial release with or without bail. For certain offenses, a standard bail amount is in place which law enforcement can require without a judge’s order. Other offenses, such as domestic violence, have a mandatory hold for court.

&8220;Usually I get the calls sometime right after the arrest,&8221; said Johnson. &8220;What we do is for a fee, roughly 10 percent of the bail amount, we provide a bond for the defendant in the full amount the court ordered.&8221;

Johnson compares bail money to a check that will likely never be cashed.

&8220;Our bond goes into the court file and stays there until dismissal of the charges or sentencing of the defendant,&8221; he said. &8220;That’s how long the bond company is responsible for the person. After that the check is torn up.&8221;

Absolute requires a co-signer for each bond or collateral to cover the entire amount ordered by the court. If the defendant fails to appear in court and the court cashes the bond, the bail bond company can collect from the co-signer.

&8220;Being in a smaller community where everybody knows everybody,&8221; said Johnson, &8220;we’ll write bonds where the co-signer can’t necessarily pay the full amount. We bank more on the relationship between the co-signer and the defendant than on their ability to pay.&8221;

When the bond has been filed with the court, Johnson’s relationship with the defendant usually ends.

&8220;Once a person has been released on a bond, we don’t do much to keep track of them,&8221; he said. &8220;We leave that responsibility with the co-signer to keep in touch with us if there are any issues down the road. It’s not our place to invade someone’s privacy. We’re not probation officers.&8221;

Very rarely, a defendant will disappear entirely. When that happens, Johnson attempts to find the defendant and return him or her to court before the bond is forfeited as a service to the co-signer. Johnson calls this the least glamorous part of his job.

&8220;What I don’t like is when people do skip court and when they skip on the co-signer and put them through the possibility of having to pay,&8221; he said. &8220;And sometimes they do have to pay. They’re hurting their co-signer who stuck their neck out and tried to help them. That’s the part of the job I don’t like. Fortunately it’s a relatively small percentage of what I do.&8221;

(Contact Joseph Marks at joseph.marks@albertleatribune.com or at 379-3435.)