Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1984

Troutt v. Langston

Troutt v. Langston
Supreme Court of Arkansas · Decided August 21, 1984 · Adkisson, Hays, Purtle, Smith
283 Ark. 220; 675 S.W.2d 625; 1984 Ark. LEXIS 1776

Troutt v. Langston

Dissenting Opinion

George Rose Smith, Justice,

dissenting. I think the bondsman had an absolute right to avoid possible liability by surrendering the petitioner to the jailer. Ark. Stat. Ann. § 43-716; Craig v. State, 257 Ark. 112 (1974). The petitioner might have raised the question, in the Court below, of his entitlement to a return of the money he paid the bondsman, but that question was not raised below and is not before us on a petition for a Writ of Mandamus.

Opinion of the Court

Temporary Writ of Mandamus is granted. The bondsman may surrender the defendant without cause pursuant to Ark. Stat. Ann. § 43-716 (Repl. 1977) only if the consideration for making the bond is returned to the defendant.

Adkisson, C.J., Purtle and Hays, JJ., concur. George Rose Smith, J., dissents.

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