Courthouse watch: 8.13.09
A bondsman accused of forcing an old man to give him $6,000 appeared was scheduled to plead innocent today in Spokane County Superior Court.
Ryan M. Holmes, 46, of Holmes Brothers Bail Bonds, was charged in a case his lawyer calls a "civil dispute run amok" while the prosecutor calls Holmes a threat to the administration of justice.
His arrest was an instant media circus as TV news crews followed a handcuffed Holmes through the courthouse as he was led to jail.
A bounty hunter, Brian Steenhard, is also charged.
Holmes is out on $20,000 bail; Steenhard was released on his own recognizance.