Arrest & Arraignment in Santa Clarita, California
An arraignment is the first time when the arrested person appears in court to face the charges against him. When a person is arrested and sent to Santa Clarita Police Department or Santa Clarita Sheriff’s jail, he is arraigned within 24 to 48 hours. If the arrested doesn’t have a lawyer, he/she will be assigned one by the court. At the arraignment hearing, the ADA (Assistant District Attorney) presents the case against the defendant, the arrested person will then be asked to enter a plea: guilty, not guilty, or no contest.

What’s the difference between guilty, not guilty, and no contest?
• Guilty: the arrested person is responsible for all charges. If he pleads guilty to all the charges, there will be no trial. The court judge will decide the punishment soon after.
• Not Guilty: the arrested person denies all charges. A trial will be set for the case.
• No Contest: the arrested person doesn’t wish to fight the charges brought against him, but accepts the charges brought against him as if he pleads guilty.

Bail & Bond in Santa Clarita, California
On arraignment, the court judge will also set bail for the defendant and a date for another court appearance. If the arrested person poses a public threat or high level of flight risk, the court judge may deny bail or elevate it accordingly. The bail amount can be high or low. Factors that affect the bail amount can be (but are not limited to) the person’s previous criminal records, the severity of the case, etc.

What’s a bail bond?
A bail bond is an agreement between the arrested person and a bail bond company.  If the arrested person cannot afford to pay the whole bail amount, they can ask a bail bond company for help. Instead of paying the whole bail amount, the accused only need to pay 10% of the total bail amount and the bail bond company will put up the whole bail in the form of a surety bond.

Can a person use his house or car as collateral to bail?
The answer is yes. The person can use his house, car, or any form of property that has high market value as collateral. The person can also use those properties toward bail bonds. Collateral properties will be rightfully returned when the case is closed (as per the contract), even if the person is found guilty of all charges. However, if the accused person decides to skip court or fails to show up in court, the state or the bail bond company will seize and collect those properties.

Beware of Bail Bonds Scam in Santa Clarita, California
When people are in desperate situations, such as when a loved one gets arrested, there are deceptive bail agents who take advantage of such circumstances. One way to detect bail bond fraud is to be aware of extremely low bail bond rates, such as the “1% down payment”. When a loved one is in jail, the individual is more likely to sign the contract without reading it thoroughly. In the end, the person has to pay so much more service fees than signing a contract with a reputable bail bond company.

Please note: There are a number of companies advertising that they are located within the city of Santa Clarita, this is false. As of date, All American Bail Bonds is the only office actively conducting business within the city. Our brick-and-mortar location is located @ 26707 Oak Ave #A, Santa Clarita, CA. 91351

 

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station

Experience the extraordinary dedication of the Santa Clarita Sheriff Station to protecting and serving our vibrant community 

Tel: (661) 260-4000
26201 Golden Valley Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91350