Crime & Safety

Bail Bondsman Pleads Guilty to 14 Felonies

A Mission Viejo bail bondsman illegally solicited clients from Orange County Jail.

A Mission Viejo bail bondsman has been sentenced for using inmates to find and negotiate bails inside Orange County Jail.

Kenneth Hendrick of Mission Viejo, a bail bondsman, pleaded guilty Monday to 14 felonies. He will have his bail bonds license stripped and must spend one year in jail with three years probation.

In 2010, Hendrick asked 11 inmates to contact him when other inmates needed bail. He commissioned one of the inmates to solicit bails on his behalf.

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State law prohibits bondsmen from making deals with inmates for bail. Only licensed bail bonds agents can solicit or negoitate bail agreements in California.

Hendrick's boss, James Everett Morris, Jr., was convicted last year of three felonies and is serving six months in jail. Morris had paid commissions to inmates for bail tips and services.

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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