People v. N. River Ins. Co.

*801 INTRODUCTION

Surety The North River Insurance Company (North River) and its bail agent, real party in interest Bad Boys Bail Bonds (Bad Boys) (collectively appellants), appeal from the trial court's conditional bond exoneration order of November 16, 2016. After fleeing the state, the criminal defendant was found and extradited from the State of Washington to Stanislaus County (County), and the court ordered appellants' $75,000 bail bond exonerated under Penal Code section 1305, subdivision (c)(1). 1 Upon request of County, the court conditioned the exoneration of the bond on the payment of expenses in the amount of $5,323.61 for the costs of extradition.

Appellants challenge a portion of the costs awarded, specifically $3,161.79 awarded to County to recoup the wages and benefits owed to the two law enforcement officers who transported defendant. Appellants contend the payment of those expenses was unauthorized under section 1306, subdivision (b), because the statute only authorizes payment of expenses to the People of the State of California, not to County, and, further, the wages and benefits of the officers were not the type of expenses authorized under the statute. Upon…