Conflicted

A grand jury looks into the relationship between a bail bond company and a Dallas deputy

Comments (0) By Thomas Korosec Thursday, Jan 17 2002

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Toliver, who has been a bailiff for 15 years and is currently assigned to state District Judge Manny Alvarez's court, says, "I know as far as I'm concerned I haven't done anything wrong. It wasn't like I was making money."

He says he had essentially no duties or work in the investigations firm. "I'm the owner-manager. Basically I made sure everybody had licenses."

Bounty hunter Reggie Spellman faces legal troubles over the state of his license.

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Toliver says he knew Spellman "was hired under Dave to do bounty hunting for the bail bond company" and has cooperated with investigators in Spellman's licensing matter.

"Bounty hunting is police work. They go hand in hand. So I don't see how it is a conflict," he says.

Peritz, the department spokesman, says sheriff's department warrants officers are specifically prohibited from working with bounty hunters because there are myriad conflicts. "There's a lot of money involved in bond forfeitures," Peritz says. "We don't get involved because of the opportunity for corruption."

Furthermore, the sheriff's department is responsible for policing the bail bond business in Dallas, which would also make the participation of officers in that business a conflict of interest, he says.