Sensible settlement on couple’s Wake County bail debt

It sounds, frankly, as if William and Frances Brodie of North Raleigh have suffered quite enough. In June 2008, their then-55-year-old son, Mark David Brodie, was charged with trafficking heroin and other drug offenses. As many parents would have done, the Brodies put their home up to guarantee their son’s bail. Their son didn’t appear in court, and the charges were dismissed with leave (meaning they can be reactivated if Brodie is caught).

But the Brodies were legally obligated to pay the $90,000 bail. After the Wake County Clerk of Court filed a bond forfeiture notice last year – the case was dormant for seven years – the Brodies were at risk of losing their home.

In a case of good-sense government and law, the couple has settled with the county for $25,000 and will keep their home. The son, according to arrest records in Santa Cruz, California, has been in more trouble with the law. But bringing him back to North Carolina would be expensive, said Howard Cummings, Wake’s senior assistant district attorney, who signed off on the final deal.

This is a good solution, as taking the Brodies’ home would have been unjust even if legal. And Cummings, who reviewed the deal, is known as a no-nonsense prosecutor so the county undoubtedly reviewed the case closely. This is absolutely the best solution.

But it does serve to remind people that standing for bail is a serious matter and not just a formality. If bail’s skipped, the person who is on the hook for it can lose the money, plain and simple. Those who are asked by friends and loved ones to do so should always have that in mind.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Sensible settlement on couple’s Wake County bail debt."