Stallworth makes $1 million bond for October shooting charges

Published 6:25 pm Saturday, March 18, 2017

A man deemed one of “Selma’s Most Wanted” has been released from jail after making a $1 million bond on charges of shooting a man and woman in October.

Jarron Stallworth, 32, who was given the $1 million bond Monday by District Judge Bob Armstrong, was bonded out of the Dallas County Jail by Ellis and Leashore Bail Bond Company.

STALLWORTH

Stallworth was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling and one count of discharging a firearm into an unoccupied dwelling.

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The charges stem from Stallworth allegedly opening fire at a man, woman and their children as they pulled into their driveway on Church Street on Oct. 30, 2016. The man and woman were both shot, and a child was also injured in the incident.

District Attorney Michael Jackson said eight to 10 percent of a bond is typically collected by a bail bond company from the defendant or a co-signer.

In this case, that percentage would be $80,000 to $100,000 for the $1 million bond that would need to be put up.

“There’s no way [the bond company] got $100,000 out of these folks,” Jackson said Friday. “The problem is there are some lax laws in Alabama on this bond stuff. There are several things on this bond issue. You’ve got to have enough of a bond put up to cover the bond.”

Bond companies are responsible for making sure the defendants that they bond out appear in court. Jackson said if a defendant does not show up, the bond can be forfeited, which would require the full amount of the bond to be paid by the bail bond company.

“If Stallworth skips town, they’re supposed to be responsible for the full million, but it is up to the judge to enforce the forfeiture of the bond.,” Jackson said.
“Unfortunately, we’ve got a problem with these judges enforcing the bond forfeiture.”

Dallas County Sheriff Harris Huffman said the 8-10 percent that a bond company is responsible for collecting from a defendant or co-signer is not paid to the court, only a bond fee of $35 is paid.

Huffman said a $1 million bond has to be approved by him, and he did approve it.

“If they do a million-dollar bond they are supposed to contact me, and Leashore did contact me,” Huffman said. “Leashore’s been in business long enough to know the ins and outs, and he said I guarantee you he’ll be there.”

Stallworth has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 4.

Phone calls to Ellis and Leashore Bail Bond Company were not returned Friday. Efforts to reach Stallworth’s attorney were also unsuccessful.