Over the weekend it was reported by the Baltimore Sun that Baltimore Ravens' linebacker Sergio Kindle was arrested in Howard County on a DUI charge. The charging documents state that Kindle blew a .17 which is over twice the legal limit in Maryland of .08. Kindle has been on the non-football related injury list all year from a fall down two flights of stairs before training camp was set to start that resulted in a fracture of his skull.
Kindle was taken to the Howard County Detention Center early in the morning to see the district court commissioner. Much like Baltimore singing artist Mario, Kindle was given a personal pledge bond in the amount of $10,000. The Baltimore Sun article reports simply that Kindle was given a $10,000 bond and posted it (it does not explain how). He did not use a bail bondsmen, cash or property; rather, he was allowed to sign a document stating he would pay $10,000 to the state of Maryland only if he were to fail to appear for court.
So what are the possible reasons Kindle was given this luxury over most people who are arrested on similar charges. During the arrest, it was noted that he was driving a vehicle with Texas tags. This would signify to a commissioner that he is a potential flight risk. He was also well above the legal limit, he very easily could have hurt somebody on the road that morning.
However, due to his professional athlete status, he is not considered a flight risk or a danger to the public. If he wants to hang on to his spot in the prestigious NFL he will certainly appear back for court and make sure something like this doesn't happen again. To force somebody like Kindle to use a Howard County Bail Bondsman would be pretty ludicrous for these reasons.
