Two people charged with theft of $9,000 in Keansburg
Police arrested two people in connection with the theft of $9,000.00 from Ryan's Funeral Home in Keansburg earlier this week. A 29-year-old man is charged with burglary, theft, and criminal trespassing after stealing the $9,000.00 from a safe in Ryan's Funeral Home. He allegedly stole a key to the safe from his sister's friend, who is the owner of the funeral home. The defendant is being held on $55,000 bail. The defendant's girlfriend has also been charged with receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence. She was allegedly in possession of some of the proceeds of the theft. Police have recovered approximately $5,800 of the stolen cash.
Clients often ask about bail and the "ten percent" option often given by the court. In this case, the defendant is being held on $55,000 bail at the Monmouth County Jail in Freehold with a 10% option. This means that the defendant must post $5,500 with the Monmouth County court and he will be released from prison. Now, the court does not always give a 10% option. I recently had a client in the Monmouth County Jail on aggravated sexual assault charges and he was being held on $250,000 bail, no 10% option. This means that the family must post the entire $250,000 bail to have him released from jail. However, the family can also hire a bail bondsman to post the $250,000 with the court. This usually costs the family 10%, in this case $25,000, as a fee to the bondsman. This $25,000 is not returned. However, if the family posts money with the court and the defendant appears as required, the money is returned after the case is resolved. This is important to remember when deciding whether to post the money with the court or hiring a bail bondsman instead.
We are often successful in arguing bail reduction motions with the court. This means an attorney from our office convinces the judge that the bail should be lowered based on the charges, the defendant's connections with the community, and the lack of flight risk. This is done based on the defendant's family ties, employment, and previous history of appearing for court when required. In this recent case, I filed a bail reduction motion with the Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold and the bail was reduced from $250,000 to $150,000. This was a great result for my client as he was able to post the bail and has been released from prison.
