With a new pre-arraignment release protocol (PARP) in place, Southern California and especially Los Angeles County regulations make it easier to secure a release from jail without having to put up any money for bail. These newer $0 cash bail provisions can apply to even many felony charges. However, cash bail remains for criminal charges that are considered serious and violent, and that means cash bail can still be required for everything from certain DUI arrests to theft crime charges.
Here we’ll look at which theft charges will likely lead to bail being set and what your options are if a loved one is arrested on such charges.
Theft Charges That Require $0 Cash Bail in L.A.
Under the new bail rules, many more arrests are leading to a simple citation then release from police custody, or a being booked then released from jail, as long as the arrested person returns to all scheduled court hearings. In other, more serious cases, it may still be possible to secure a loved one’s release from jail without posting bail, but you would first need to wait for a magistrate to review the case and either confirm a $0 cash bail release or determine an amount for bail.
The following list is not exhaustive, but it does provide a good range of current guidelines. For example, grand theft charges used to require $35,000 bail or more, but now even in cases of grand theft or of breaking and entering (burglary), no bail may be required.
While these outcomes aren’t always guaranteed, these are the general guidelines that could apply in the following cases:
- Most burglary charges: Book and release
- Burglary with explosives: Magistrate review
- Many types of credit card fraud: Cite and release
- Embezzlement: Cite and release or book and release
- Extortion (that doesn’t reach the level of robbery): Cite and release
- Extortion with ransomware: Magistrate review
- Forgery charges: Cite and release or book and release
- Insurance fraud: Cite and release
- Grant theft directly from a person: Magistrate review
- Other grand theft (with one exception below): Book and release
- Looting: Magistrate review
- Mortgage fraud: Book and release
Again, these are just guidelines. It may be that in certain cases, a judicial officer may consider an arrestee a flight risk or decide against $0 cash bail for other reasons. In such instances, a cite-and-release offense could mean bail being set at $25,000, a book-and-release charge at $50,000, and a magistrate-review offense at $75,000.
Bail Enhancements That Could Apply to Theft Charges
While some theft charges may or may not lead to bail being set, certain aggravating factors could still trigger cash bail and/or add to the amount of bail. Some examples of this would be a theft charge that involves a weapon, which is a bail enhancement of $20,000. If that weapon were a firearm, the added amount would be $50,000, while any serious bodily injury or death can add $200,000 to $1,000,000 in bail.
If no weapon was involved, but there was still great bodily injury, the enhancement would be $30,000. A prior conviction of a serious or violent felony would mean $50,000 more per conviction.
Of course, these enhancements could also be added to the charges discussed next.
Theft Charges That Still Have Cash Bail
Robbery and burglary are theft crimes that are also violent crimes, and as such, can still lead to bail being required for release.
The main examples of theft charges that still have cash bail guidelines in L.A. include:
- First-degree burglary with person present: $50,000
- Carjacking: $100,000
- Grand theft of a firearm: $50,000
- First-degree robbery: $100,00
- Second-degree robbery: $50,000
Granted, these are the general principles that apply in the case of a single charge. In more complex cases with multiple offenses, bail and every other legal issue will create a more convoluted path forward, one that will require professional help to navigate.
What to Do After Someone Is Arrested on Theft Charges in L.A.
If you find yourself needing to secure a loved one’s release from jail, then you can call Dan Nesser day or night to speak with him directly. At Dan's Bail Bonds, we have handled cases like these for decades. After hearing the details of your case, Dan can help you determine whether cash bail is likely in your case, waiting to post bail could be to your benefit, or if he can get to work right away to get the bail bond you need to get your loved one out of jail and back home where they belong. Our L.A. County bail bond service is here to answer your questions and restore your peace of mind.
Whatever charges are involved in an arrest in Southern California, you can reach Dan's Bail Bonds 24/7. Get the bail bond help you need now: (888) 773-8037.