How bond is set in the Custer County Court and the District Court in Westcliffe, what the judge can order, and how Alec Spensieri gets the bond posted fast at the lowest price in Colorado.
Custer County is part of Colorado's 11th Judicial District. The county court handles misdemeanors, traffic cases and the early stages of felonies, and the district court handles felony cases after they are bound over, along with more serious matters. Both sit in Westcliffe, the county seat.
Colorado requires that a person who has been arrested be brought before a judge promptly, generally within 48 hours, for a first appearance, sometimes called an advisement or bond hearing. The judge tells the person what they are charged with, advises them of their rights and sets the conditions of release. For many charges a bond was already assigned from the county's bond schedule at booking, in which case the person can be released before the hearing once the bond is posted.
Colorado law directs judges to use the least restrictive conditions that will reasonably assure the person returns to court and the community stays safe. The judge looks at the charge, criminal history, prior failures to appear, ties to the community, employment and the input of pretrial services, the prosecutor and the defense. The result can be a personal recognizance bond, a cash bond, a surety bond that a licensed agent can post, or a property bond, often with conditions attached.
Common conditions in the Custer County Court and the District Court in Westcliffe include a mandatory protection order in domestic violence cases, no contact with victims or witnesses, no alcohol or drugs, surrendering firearms, pretrial check-ins, GPS or alcohol monitoring and travel restrictions. The jail will not release a person until the conditions are in place, so we coordinate those steps while the bond is being posted.
If the bond is set higher than a family can manage, a defense attorney can file a motion to reduce bond and ask for a hearing. The judge can lower the amount, change the type or modify the conditions. We work with attorneys on these hearings every week and can tell you whether a reduction is realistic before you spend money on it.
If a person misses a court date, the judge can issue a bench warrant and begin forfeiting the bond. Call us immediately. Acting fast usually lets us get the person back in front of the judge and the bond reinstated without the family losing anything.
Once the court sets a surety bond, Alec posts it with the jail and the release process begins. Because he is a professional cash bail agent and self-insured, there is no surety company that has to approve the bond first, which matters on a $5,000 bond set late in the day. Southern Colorado families should never have to drive to the metro area to find a fair bond. We come to you, or do it all online.
We also keep the case on track afterward: reminders before every court date in Westcliffe, help with a change of address or phone number, and a direct line if anything goes wrong. A bond is a promise to the court, and our job is to make it easy to keep.
Tell us the name, the jail and the bond amount if you have it. If you don't, we'll look it up. Nights, weekends and holidays included.
Get your rate and payment plan, then sign the paperwork from your phone. No office visit and no driving to the jail required.
We post the bond with the jail right away and keep you updated until they walk out the door.
I got into bail because the old way was never built for working families. I want to help the masses: a fair price, a real payment plan, and a person who picks up the phone at 3 a.m. Nobody should sit in jail because bail was priced for somebody else.— Alec Spensieri, Professional Cash Bail Agent, License #735171
Not if a bond was assigned from the schedule at booking. If the charge requires a judge, bond is set at the first appearance and we post right after.
Often, yes, through a motion to reduce bond filed by the defense attorney. We can tell you whether a reduction is likely before you decide.
In domestic violence cases the court issues a mandatory protection order before release. The person cannot return to the home or contact the protected party until the court changes the order, and we make sure they understand that before they leave the jail.
The bond is exonerated when the case is dismissed, pled or tried. Our obligation to the court ends, and the pledged property is released once the agreement is paid in full.
Yes, before every date, by text. Tell us right away if a date changes or you get a new phone number.