Jon: I've had knives pulled on me, I‘ve been shot at, I had a guy try to run me over in his car, dog bites,
it is pretty wild.
I swear to God, if you come at me with a knife.
There’s no nine cop cars down the road providing backup, but we are private citizens
doing a job and taking people to court against their will.
Hey, I'm looking for you, man.
Anything can happen. And no one's ever helped us.
Go to the backdoor quick.
Hello.
I'd always heard of bounty hunting, but I didn't know if it was something that even really existed anymore.
I thought was like Wild, Wild West. I didn't know there was such a job.
Alex: Jon is not just my partner. He's my significant other.
He's my boyfriend we live together. I'm always thinking that the worst can happen to him.
Jon: What's up?
what’s up strangers? I was in the US Army. Following a stint there found my way into bail recovery.
And five years later, I do it full time.
Alex: When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a detective.
So I guess around the time I was 21 years old, I started looking into investigations work.
I met Jon here, and we started working together doing bail recovery.
We just picked up a file. It's a female, local, I think she's probably in her 30s, I don't know the exact age.
I'm hoping it's not going to be a really difficult file.
Jon: Yeah not a big bond, but its certainly worth going after.
Alex: Absolutely.
Jon: A bail bond is a short term loan placed on your behalf by a bondsman,
to the court, to the jail to let you out and acts as a surety as a collateral that you will come back.
If you don't come back, the bondsman tells us to go get you, so they can get their money back from the court.
If everything works out I'll take them into custody. And we turn them in. And I call the bondsman
and we get a cheque within the next day or so.
Alex: They were Municipal Court driving charges.
I don't remember exactly. Jon: And that she likes the cops too.
Yeah, her charges are really minor and nothing that she should be running on.
Our defendants range from misdemeanour traffic tickets, and will ramp up
all the way to drug trafficking cartel members and everything in between.
Our folks come from marginalized or already disenfranchised populations.
They came up around, you know, trailer parks or public housing,
or just a life of not having a lot of money and being around people who commit crimes.
it's just another day under the sun for them to have a bounty hunter in their life or to have a court date.
It's just, it's what they do. So I feel badly for them. I didn't grow up like that thankfully.
Our defendant, is associated with a blue Mazda six sedan.
I think she sleeps in it. Actually, there's a bed made up in the back of the sedan.
Alex: The problem with looking for someone who sleeps in a car is that their house moves.
Jon: If you want to be good at this job, you've got to be willing to just get kicked in the balls over and over
and over. You got to drive for hours sit outside a shitty motel and then drive home empty handed.
No money. Nothing but fast food wrappers on the ground and, a bondsman blowing you up about why
you haven't caught their guy. You got to be resilient.
You got to be willing to learn.You got to be humble. You got to be willing to say you know what,
This dude, he's smarter than I am today. I'm coming back. That's I think what it takes.
Alex: Yeah it’s f****** hard. Jon: F****** hard man.
Alex: Hello.
Over the phone: Alex it’s Todd.
Alex: Hey, Todd, what's up? How big is the bond?
Okay, so fairly fresh. That's good.
Awesome. Alright bye Jon: What’s up?
Alex: Hey, we just got a new file from Todd.
Jon: Is it local. Alex: Yeah, it's local, a $15,000 bond. He just FTA.
He just wants this wrapped up fast. Because It's kind of a bigger bond.
It's definitely difficult to be a woman in this industry. I'm treated differently from Jon,
and both of us notice that. I do have to work harder in this job.
I have to work harder to be perceived, as being as capable as Jon.
Jon: Let’s go over this. What's this kid named? Caleb?
Caleb I can remember that. Big Boy. Big bond. Caleb right.
his handwriting looks like he's about eight.
He is five foot eight. 145 pounds.
No tattoos.
No kids.
That’s it on the left alright let’s park further down here and come up at it.
Do you have your radio? Alex: Yeah.
Jon: Go to the back door quick.
You good back there?
and a kid. If you knock she'll come to the door I think.
Hello.
Alex: Hi there. We're looking for Caleb.
Woman: Caleb? Alex: Uh huh.
Alex: Yes, he missed court in White County.
Alex: Yeah, absolutely.
Um, let me let me call my partner and he'll come around here. Okay. Hey, Dolman.
He's here. His step mom is talking to me. Can you trade places with me?
Jon: Absolutely. I'm coming around the other side of building towards you. Okay.
Alex: 10-4. Woman: Let me get his dad.
Jon: Quick. Okay. Hey, buddy.
Hello.
Jon: Okay, I'll come in there, sir.
Hey, thank you. What's your name, sir?
Jon: Oh, Jason. Thank you. I'm Jon. Thanks for letting me in sir. I appreciate it. How you doing?
Jon: Is he in he's room?
Jason: Yes Sir.
Jason: Caleb be grown up about this come on out boy? Get this over with.
Jon: Yeah, thank you, sir. I appreciate your help. Hey, Caleb.
Hey, Caleb. My name is Jon. I'm going to take good care of you okay.
Jason: He ain’t going to let nothing happen to you boy.
Jon: It's not going to be any big deal. Yeah, your bond eligible there's no other additional charges at this time.
I'm going to treat you right okay.
Just open the door and we don't have to do anything crazy. I'm going to treat you with respect and like a man.
Okay.
Jason: Walk out like a man son.
Jon: Can you open the door for me?
Jason: come on Caleb. Woman: Caleb come on.
Jason: Knock at it.
Jon: He's got a block up top. Jason: Yeah. go ahead and do it.
Woman: Caleb come on. Jon: You sure.
He's not going to try to hurt me or anything like that.
All right. Hey, Caleb. I don't want to do this man.
Jason: Caleb he’s going to break the door so let him in or he's going to break the door open
Jason: Caleb where are you at?
Alex: Dolman are you good?
To me the most dangerous part is that's just her and I just Alex and myself.
There's no nine cop cars down the road providing backup with a helicopter and friendly DA
in case something goes bad. We are private citizens doing a job of taking people to court against their will.
And anything goes, that's the wild part. Just anything can happen. And no one's ever helped us.
Jon: Caleb. Jason: Caleb.
Jon: Caleb?
Is there a way to get
he's right here. Hey, Caleb.
Jon: Hey, Caleb.
Jon: Come on out. Show me your hand? Show me your hands.
Put both your hands out in front of you walk out of the closet.
With both put them out in front of you okay.
Okay, I don't want this to go terrible.
Jon: Step on over here.
Jon: Step on over. Okay, step away from me. Put your hands on top of that.
Put your hands on there. I'm going to treat you like a man. Okay? Are you be cool with me?
You got to answer me, okay? Otherwise I'm not going to be cool with you.
Are you going to be cool with me?
Alex: 10-4.
Bounty hunting is definitely a feast or famine kind of job.
We only get paid if we catch people and it can be really stressful. There are times where,
we might catch five people in a week or close five cases in a week.
And then we might go two weeks without catching you know, maybe more than two or three people.
Jon: Watch your head now. There listen
Jon: But I think the bail industry is going under some real changes the United States, Money bailed
for profit bail, I think will go away in the next four to five years.
We're also private investigators. I think when this job runs its course we switch over and do that.
we kind of switch gears and go that way. I hope it last I sure like it. You know it's good time.
It's suits my skill set but the end is coming
the end is coming.
Jon: Little bit of a wild one. Safe, and sane. All turned in paperwork’s finished.
Nice, quick, relatively quick grab and a good payday.
Alex: So we missed out on our other case for today,
but we were happy to get one. No complaints here. We'll be back at it tomorrow.
We've got to be in court in the morning, on another case. So I think, maybe go home have a beer
Jon: Yes. Alex: And back at it tomorrow.