Rhode Island Idiots

http://www.abc6.com/news/47357197.html

WOONSOCKET POLICE: One of Accused Online Bounty Hunters a Level 3 Sex Offender
Chris Boardman

Story Created: Jun 9, 2009 at 3:26 PM EDT

Story Updated: Jun 10, 2009 at 4:13 PM EDT

On 05/08/09 Sgt Jennifer North was contacted by a member of the Cumberland Police Department regarding an arrest. It was alleged at around 6:00pm on 05/07/09 a group of men (5) came into to the Cumberland Police Station with a handcuffed woman. The group identified themselves as "New England Bounty Hunters" and explained they picked up this person on an active arrest warrant at 90 Blackstone Street in the City of Woonsocket. The female was taken in custody on an active District Court Warrant for Failure to Appear on Simple Assault charge.

Once this person was placed in custody Cumberland Police notified our department of the incident and told the victim, after release, to respond to our station to file a complaint. The victim, 18 year old Rebecca Ball, came to the station and filed a complaint with the Woonsocket Police on 05/08/09.


Ronald Cervantes Brandon Johnson


Detective Thomas Calouro of the Woonsocket Police Department began an investigation into the incident and learned that 36 year old Brandon Johnson and 39 year old Ronald Cervantes started a company to apprehend fugitives. They called the company New England Bounty Hunters. They began the company through an online source called beabountyhunter.com. After a $235.00 initiation fee they received bounty hunter badges and identifications.

To establish their business they reached out to an acquaintance and learned the victim was wanted on an outstanding warrant. They went to her home and forced their way into the apartment. Cervantes and Johnson encountered the victim placed her in cuffs and brought her to the Cumberland Police Department in their personal vehicle.

Once the investigation was concluded and with assistance from members of the Rhode Island Attorney Generals Office, Detective Thomas Calouro was able to obtain arrests warrant for Brandon Johnson and Ronald Cervantes. They turned themselves in on June 9th, 2009 and they were each charged with Simple Assault and Battery and Breaking into a dwelling house without consent.

Both subjects were brought to District Court. Johnson was released on surety bail and Cervantes was held as a superior court violator.

-From the Woonsocket Police Department

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Yak .... H.B.I.C.
Riverside Enforcement
Hackensack NJ 07601
Ph. (201) 538 - 2947
Fax (201) 342 - 5405

That particular website belongs to Mr. L. Scott Harrell who is a very well respected member of the BEA national community... having said that, I can only believe that these two BEA people figured that taking the course was the only qualification needed to comply in their state and by making that sizable error in judgment... put themselves in the slammer. I can't imagine Mr. Harrell had anything to do here other than the online training that only gave them a limited initiation into the business... short of legal certification through the state.

It is unfortunate that any type of association would be made between Mr. Harrell and these types of unfortunate incidents. IMHO... that one line above gives an unfair representation of the training involved... and would lead one to believe that the training company gave them full qualification to operate as BEA in that state... I have no doubt that this is not the case but I would be willing to bet that before this is brought to an end... beabountyhunter.com will be involved, however unfortunate.

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Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

To my knowledge, WWW.BeABountyHunter.com is an educational source only, and always has been an access to the most professional and accurate information on Bail Enforcement, Nationwide. Further, having taken such classes in person as well as online, they have never provided, offered or sold badges to anyone, to my knowledge. The only thing that I have ever been provided is a certificate of completion, listing the course taken upon passing the test, and no other type of identification card has ever been issued or offered.

Having been an instructor and published author in this industry for quite some time, educators are always open to such issues. TAPBA actually records their classes on video tape to document what information was presented and that nothing illegal is ever offered or suggested. We, as instructors, have no control of what someone does with the presented information. They are responsible for their own actions and for their full compliance with the laws where they choose to operate. Basic BEA 101 is that if you were not given the case by a bail bondsman, you have no re-arrest authority, period. I have no knowledge of this incident but would venture to believe that their desire to be successful, or to impress a bondsman, clouded their respective judgment, and for this they were charged.\

It is an absolute shame that they would implicate an individual or company that has set the standard for ethics and education in this industry.

Scott

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R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

I just went over the website at www.beabountyhunter.com and there are no credentials or badges sold on this site, as I had earlier posted. Trust but verify, and I did.

I also find it quite embarrassing that others would take advantage of this situation to tout their own company.
The LE and AG that stated there are no laws for Bounty Hunting in RI was wrong and it had to be corrected by a reporter. I don't care who you are, what your experience is, where you came from or whose tired reputation you are desperately clinging to, you have no control over an individual that will go against what they were taught to accomplish something that they shouldn't. For them, it is some sort of fantasy, and they will do what they intend to, regardless of education, common sense, or advice that they do not choose to hear, accept or follow as it is contrary to their desires.

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

I have take Mr. Harrell course and frequent his site....I knew that I had never seen or heard about "his" badges.
(Copied to another thread)

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********************
Thomas SnoWolf
FRN# 1999
GAPB 20120726
NSIS ST0707
http://www.rocksolidrg.com
"The hero is not the man that acts without fear,
He is the man that acts inspite of fear"

I'd like to make a couple of things VERY clear:

1. Neither Brandon Johnson nor Ronald Cervantes are training clients of ours.
2. We have never sold badges or identification cards. N.E.V.E.R.

Guys,

Thanks for your comments and faith!

Re-posted from another thread:

1. Neither of the defendants are training clients of mine and I have not had any contact with either of them.
2. We do not now, and have never in the past, sold identification cards or badges. I have always been vocal against those training companies that do provide them or advocate their use.

They are obviously mistaken about where they obtained these items or they are two very desperate men irrationally looking for a lifeline. When these allegations are proven to be patently false, there will be repercussions for dragging our otherwise spotless reputation and good name through the mud.

In an online newscast about the incident they showed a copy of the ID's which say Bounty Hunter across the top with "Association of International Bounty Hunters" underneath... can anyone identify the source of these cards? http://www.abc6.com/news/47357197.html

Thanks!

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Scott H.

Thats an easy one..

http://www.nles.com/store/customer/prod ... =40&page=1

These are "generic" ID cards. All kinds of places sell them.

_________________
After all is said and done, more is said than done.



-X-
St. Louis, MO
FRN#2
Member of The C.B.C

Tim,

Those are not the same cards that these two guys were carrying. Close but still different.

_________________
Scott H.

Theyre pretty darn close. Maybe they copied them and made their own.

_________________
After all is said and done, more is said than done.



-X-
St. Louis, MO
FRN#2
Member of The C.B.C