Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin announced Wednes that his office has filed petitions to enforce judgments against Da Kine Bail Bonds Inc. and Safety National Casualty Corp. for forfeited bail bonds the companies failed to pay to the State of Hawaii.
Chin said Da Kine owes the state $35,500 stemming from 21 separate criminal cases. Duane “Dog” Chapman is the president and director of Da Kine Bail Bonds, which posts bonds for clients on Hawaii Island, Oahu, Kauai and Maui. Safety National Casualty Corp. is the surety that is obligated to pay if Da Kine defaults.
The filing of the lawsuit resulted from a joint effort by the Judiciary and the Department of the Attorney General to sue various bail bond companies in Hawaii for nonpayment of forfeiture of bail bonds. Other companies are also being reviewed.
Of the companies that have been looked into, seven paid the Judiciary approximately $700,000 upon receiving notice. Those companies are not subject to Wednesday’s legal action.
Bail is a financial arrangement that an agency makes on behalf of a criminal defendant allowing the defendant’s release from jail pending trial in exchange for money or collateral, which can be in the form of cash, assets, or a bond. The agency is responsible for ensuring that the defendant arrives in court on the day of trial. If not, the court may forfeit the bond requiring it be paid by bail bonding agency, according to the office.
“Bail bond companies promise to pay us when their clients skip court. Simply put, if they don’t pay we have to hunt down that money,” Chin said.