Opinion ID: 2621579
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Issue 1: Did the district court fail to properly apply the bondsman privilege?

Text: Burhans claims that a bail bondsman has broad rights under the common law to enter property which he or she reasonably believes serves as the principal's residence and to arrest the principal. He also claims that a bail bondsman has broad rights under the common law to use such force there as is reasonably necessary to overcome the resistance of a third party who attempts to impede the principal's recapture. Accordingly, his convictions must be reversed. The State acknowledges the bondsmans privilege, but argues Burhans was not privileged to enter the property or to attempt to overcome the resistance of Mr. Williams under the facts of this case, particularly because neither Burhans nor his information sources had observed Austin there. Our standard of review is de novo, since we determine, as a matter of law, the reach of the bondsman privilege. See State v. Harper, 275 Kan. 888, 889, 69 P.3d 1105 (2003). The right of a bondsman to arrest his principal was discussed in Taylor v. Taintor, 83 U.S. 366, 21 L. Ed. 287 (1872). The Court stated: When bail is given, the principal is regarded as delivered to the custody of his sureties. Their dominion is a continuance of the original imprisonment. Whenever they choose to do so, they may seize him and deliver him up in their discharge; and if that cannot be done at once, they may imprison him until it can be done. They may exercise their rights in person or by agent. They may pursue him into another State; may arrest him on the Sabbath; and, if necessary, may break and enter his house for that purpose. The seizure is not made by virtue of new process. None is needed. It is likened to the rearrest by the sheriff of an escaping prisoner. In 6 Modern it is said: `The bail have their principal on a string, and may pull the string whenever they please, and render him in their discharge.' The rights of the bail in civil and criminal cases are the same. They may doubtless permit him to go beyond the limits of the State within which he is to answer, but it is unwise and imprudent to do so; and if any evil ensue, they must bear the burden of the consequences, and cannot cast them upon the obligee. (Emphasis added.) 83 U.S. at 371-72. Kansas case law on the subject is minimal but generally consistent with the general principles articulated in Taylor v. Taintor . See, e.g., State v. Midland Ins. Co., 208 Kan. 886, 889, 494 P.2d 1228 (1972). As the Court of Appeals most recently stated in State v. Indemnity Ins. Co. of N. Amer., 9 Kan. App. 2d 53, 56, 672 P.2d 251, rev. denied 234 Kan. 1077 (1984): `By the recognizance the principal is, in the theory of the law, committed to the custody of the sureties as to jailers of his own choosing, not that he is, in point of fact, in this country at least, subjected or can be subjected by them to constant imprisonment; but he is so far placed in their power that they may at any time arrest him upon the recognizance and surrender him to the court and, to the extent necessary to accomplish this, may restrain him of his liberty. ' (Emphasis added.) A bondsman also has a statutory right to arrest his principal under K.S.A. 22-2809, which generally provides that any person who is released on an appearance bond may be arrested by such person's surety or any person authorized by such surety and delivered to a custodial officer of the court in any county in the state in which such person is charged. Because of the paucity of case law in Kansas, we must look to other jurisdictions for specific guidance. Burhans relies heavily upon a case which appears to be at the outer reaches of the published decisions regarding the bondsman privilege. In Livingston v. Browder, 51 Ala. App. 366, 285 So. 2d 923 (1973), a bondsman entered the residence of the principal's mother, i.e., a third party's residence, without her consent and arrested the principal, who apparently was a nonresident. The appellate court reversed the bondsman's trespass conviction. Among other things, the court found that the right of a surety to capture his or her principal arises not only from common law and Alabama statutory law, but also from private rights established by the bail contract. 51 Ala. App. at 369. The court looked at the arrest powers of a police officer and concluded: [A] bondsman does have the authority to arrest . . . when he sees his principal in the dwelling; when he properly identifies himself; and when he acts in a reasonable manner to enter the dwelling to effectuate his arrest. 51 Ala. App. at 370. Livingston does not broadly state, however, as Burhans suggests, that every entry into a third party's home is reasonable. The court there acknowledged that if the bondsman misrepresented his authority, or did not have authority, he might be guilty of trespass. 51 Ala. App. at 370. Additionally, Livingston is distinguishable from the instant case on critical facts. There, the bondsman actually saw the principal's car in front of the residence, actually saw him sitting in the living room watching television, and confirmed with the defendant's mother that he was there. By contrast, Burhans did not see Austin's vehicle in front of the Williams' residence, did not see Austin on the property, and certainly did not confirm Austin's presence with a resident; Mr. and Mrs. Williams both denied it. Burhans also cites State v. Mathis, 349 N.C. 503, 515, 509 S.E.2d 155 (1998). There, bondsmen searched a house owned by the principal's mother, but in which the principal resided. The North Carolina Supreme Court rejected that part of the Alabama Court of Appeals decision in Livingston, which held that a surety could enter the home of a third party, i.e., where the principal does not reside, without the consent of the owner. 349 N.C. at 513. It held: The right of the surety to enter the residence of his principal and to seize him arises as a matter of contract from the bond agreement which carries with it the principal's implied consent that the surety may seize him at any time and may use such force as is reasonably necessary to enter his residence at any time in order to do so. The principal has no authority to authorize the surety, by contract or otherwise, to enter the residence of a third party in which the principal does not himself reside. Therefore, the surety obtains no such power by virtue of the bond agreement. (Emphasis added.) 349 N.C. at 513. The Mathis court did hold, however, that when the principal does reside in the house owned by another, the bond agreement allows sureties to break and enter his or her residence even though it may be shared by others. 349 N.C. at 515. Under these circumstances, Sureties or their agents may use such force as is reasonably necessary to overcome the resistance of a third party who attempts to impede their privileged capture of their principal. But they may use only such force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances to accomplish the arrest. 349 N.C. at 514. The North Carolina Supreme Court held the trial court should have instructed the jury on a bondsman's common-law and statutory authority and reversed and remanded for a new trial, stating: [A] jury could find from such evidence that the bondsmen here had a reasonable belief that Mr. Tankersley [principal] was in his or her residence, that Mrs. Nelson [homeowner] was interfering with the arrest, and that the bondsmen were justified in using the force necessary to enter and seize Mr. Tankersley. (Emphasis added.) 349 N.C. at 516. Burhans essentially relies upon this reasonable belief language to support his claim that, under our facts, he had a right to enter the Williams' property to apprehend Austin. As with Livingston, however, Mathis is of little assistance to Burhans because its important facts are distinguishable from the instant case. Specifically, the principal, Tankersley, actually resided at the location, albeit with numerous family members. Furthermore, as in Livingston, the bondsman surveilling the residence actually saw the principal there. In addition, other bondsmen saw a car appear in the yard outside the residence that the principal had listed as his vehicle on his bond papers. Even if we were to accept a reasonable belief as a basis for the bondsman privilege, it would not protect Burhans under the facts of this case. First, as the district court found: Mr. Austin, it appears, gave the address of his sister as his residence. It appears the only verification that the defendant used to determine that was from the information from Michelle Hattemer herself, who indicated that was the address written down on the bond sheet. In addition to that, Ms. Hattemer had been told by the alleged victims in this case that this gentleman, Michael Austin, did not live at the residence. Second, Burhans did not actually see Austin's vehicle or Austin himself on the property. Accordingly, even if 2722 Rawhide Lane were Austin's residence, which it was not, Burhans could not have had a reasonable belief that Austin actually was in his residence. The State also cites a number of cases which appear to reject the principle that a bondsman has any right to forcibly enter a third party's dwelling to arrest the principal. Foremost among these is State v. Mishler, 660 N.E.2d 343 (Ind. App. 1996). There, the defendant bondsmen were charged with battery and trespass after forcibly entering the apartment of the principal's mother and knocking her off balance. Apparently, the principal did not reside there, as the court first held that Taylor v. Taintor did not address a bail bondsman's forcible entry into the dwelling of a third party and was therefore inapplicable. The Mishler court next indicated it found three states that had rejected the argument that a bail agent has the right to break and enter a third party's dwelling. 660 N.E.2d at 346; See State v. Tapia, 468 N.W.2d 342, 344 (Minn. App. 1991) (none of the sources from which a bail bondsman derives his or her authority  the common law, state statute, or the bail bondsman's contract  authorize the bondsman to forcibly enter the private dwelling of a third party to arrest the principal); State v. Lopez, 105 N.M. 538, 543-44, 734 P.2d 778 (Ct. App. 1986) (bail bondsman is not absolved of criminal responsibility for armed, forcible entry of third party residence); and State v. Portnoy, 43 Wash. App. 455, 466, 718 P.2d 805 (1986) (court upheld bondsman's conviction for assault of a neighbor who was present in the principal's home, rejecting claim that bondsman may sweep from his path all third parties whom he believes are blocking his search for his client without criminal liability). See also Herd v. State of Maryland, 125 Md. App. 77, 118-19, 724 A.2d 693 (1999) (The legal conclusion that a bail bondsman is generally entitled to enter, without consent by the homeowner, the home of a third person in an effort to apprehend a fugitive is almost certainly an unreasonable conclusion.). The Mishler court joined these jurisdictions, specifically concluding that none of the sources from which a bail agent derived his or her authority  common law, statute, or the bail agent's contract  authorized a bondsman to forcibly enter the private dwelling of a third party to arrest the principal. 660 N.E.2d at 347. The court also particularly determined that Livingston was inapplicable because the Mishler defendants did not see the principal in the dwelling, but only speculated that he was there. They saw only the mother's car outside; no one saw the principal there; and the mother specifically told the bondsmen that the principal was not there. 660 N.E.2d at 347. The only information they had suggesting the principal was present was from his cousin who advised he might be at his mother's. The court affirmed the convictions. Accordingly, the majority of the jurisdictions which have addressed the same issue as Burhans' also would agree that his privilege does not protect him on the Williams' property when the principal Austin does not reside there, and especially when Austin has not been observed there. Burhans also argues he had the right to point a can of mace at Mr. Williams and to gesture toward a semiautomatic handgun tucked into the waistband of his pants. He claims that a bail bondsman is allowed to use reasonable force against a third party to effectuate the arrest of his principal. Burhans cites a Virginia trial court decision, Commonwealth of Virginia v. Trevor W. Lyon, 45 Va. Cir. 191 (1998), which is not authoritative, and the previously quoted language from Mathis to support this claim. The State in turn relies on Mishler, Tapia, Lopez, Herd, and Portnoy to argue that restrictions are placed on the use of force and that several states, i.e., Indiana, New Mexico, and Washington have upheld criminal convictions of bail bondsmen using force against third parties when searching for their principal. As previously established, Burhans had no right to enter the property at 2722 Rawhide to search for Austin. Accordingly, his use of force there, or threat to use force against Williams was unreasonable and unprotected by any bondsman privilege. We have found no case protecting any conduct like Burhans' when the bondsman did not actually see the principal on the property. We therefore need not determine whether Kansas should adopt the far-reaching rationale of Livingston, the reasonable belief rationale of Mathis, or the rationale of the majority of the states which have addressed the issue. Under any of these standards, under our facts, Burhans was unprotected.