Bail Bond

TAVARES, Fla.—A well-known and longtime Tavares bail bond agent found herself on the other side of the law Tuesday when Tavares Police Department arrested her for allegedly cheating her client’s mom out of $900 – and the cash exchange was captured on a parking garage surveillance camera.

Jeannie “Red” Hayden is accused of taking the cash in March and leaving the client sitting in jail.

According to a report from TPD, on March 27, the client’s mother contacted TPD following a call from another Tavares bail bond agent to TPD that morning. The agent initially told TPD Hayden “scammed” his client. He said in January, a woman was arrested for several drug possession charges and allegedly made an agreement with Hayden to bond her out of jail.  The alleged agreement required the client to pay $200 up front and make payments on the remaining balance. He said the client did not adhere to the agreement, and Hayden had her recommitted on March 5. According to Lake County Clerk of Court online records, her bond with Red’s Bail Bonds was discharged on March 6.

Later, on March 27, the client’s mother contacted TPD and said she spoke with Hayden about bonding her daughter out after she was recommitted. Hayden reportedly told her it would cost $900, the remainder of the bond the client originally agreed to pay, and they scheduled a meeting at the Tavares Parking Garage on Sinclair Avenue in the late of March 9. The client’s mother and boyfriend met Hayden at the garage, where the boyfriend gave Hayden $900 while the mother filled out paperwork, surveillance video showed. Hayden, who did not give the mother a copy of the paperwork, left the garage, which is across the street from the jail, and never returned.

The pair waited approximately four hours for her to be released and her mother called Hayden, who allegedly told her, “the company” would not allow her to bond the client out again. Her mother requested Hayden return the $900 and she refused and said they would have to use another bail bond agent, according to the report. During the investigation, the client’s mother provided a screenshot of a text message from Hayden timestamped March 9, that stated, “I’m SORRY I tried to call you back. I even tried to call my underwriter but they wouldn’t Accept (sic) the bond again. I am so sorry.”

During her investigation the TPD officer spoke with yet another local bail bond agent to confirm the bonding process and he provided emails to contacts at the Department of Financial Services who also confirmed the $900 should have been returned if the bond was not completed.

A warrant was issued for Hayden’s arrest for grand theft and cheating (fraud) on Tuesday and she was picked up at her office on Alfred Street, just a few blocks from the jail. She was taken into custody without incident, and according to the report, she “jokingly” said, the arrest would be good word of mouth business and laughed as she entered the jail. Hayden spent just under two hours in custody before she was released on $5,000 bond.