Location: California
I was arrested & booked in jail on a wednesday. my court date was set for the following friday. i was asked several times by deputies at the station if i wanted to call someone to notify them of my whereabouts. i declined, explicitly stating id wait for my trial before contacting anyone. there was a probability my case wouldnt even be filed. early thursday morning, (~4AM) a deputy came by my cell & asked for my phone number. i was half asleep so i gave them my cell phone number. I didnt think much of it until mid day on thursday (~11am), a deputy came & said the detective was wondering if i had contacted any relatives or bail agent. I said No, i wanted to wait for my trial. the deputy said a bail agent called earlier that morning inquiring about my case. I was confused & concerned, but told the deputy i didnt request anything from anyone.
about 2 hours later, (1pm) the deputy came to my cell & told me “your bail has been posted someone’s here to pick you up.” before they let me out, i repeat yet again that i havent contacted anyone, & i dont think i want to go since id like to wait for court tomorrow. an officer said, “well, your court date is now moved to the end of the month (20 days away) since your bail has already cleared. are you sure you want to be in jail for 20 more days?” I was seriously befuddled at this point since i had never been arrested or had experience with jail or bail. I just said, “No, but i dont really understand whats going on” & they could tell i was confused because they asked if i was feeling alright.
they walked me out of jail, where my dad was standing in the lobby of the sherriff station with the bail agent, who was busily shuffling through paperwork. upon greeting my dad, the moment was overwhelmed by just being free from custody, my dad asking if i was ok, etc. i began gathering myself, & trying to put together an explanation of the last 24hrs & consequently the important question of figuring out who contacted this bail agent etc didnt get answered in time. the bail agent lady quickly introduced herself & asked me to sign the paperwork. in my confusion, i just signed it, & she left shortly thereafter.
I asked my dad later what parties contacted him & when. it looks like he got several calls from 2 or 3 different bail agents early thursday morning. one of them was the lady he ended up hiring for my case. these bail agents did not have my consent to reach out to relatives, which appears to be against the law, & punishable by $10k fine, loss of license, & a year in jail. what should i do? file a complaint with the dept. of insurance?