Randy and Evi Quaid Bail Bond Issues Heard in Santa Barbara Court
Actor Randy Quaid and and his wife, Evi, didn’t make their way back to Santa Barbara — where they were arrested in 2010 for breaking into and damaging their former Montecito home — but a case related to each of their $500,000 bail bonds did make its way to Judge Frank Ochoa’s courtroom on Friday.
The hearing put into effect a state Court of Appeal’s ruling that the $500,000 bond for Randy will be rescinded due to a procedural error, while the bond company — American Surety — remains on the hook to the Santa Barbara Superior Court for the $500,000 bond for Evi, according to County Counsel Mike Ghizzoni and Deputy County Counsel Sarah McElhinney. Ghizzoni added that although the Santa Barbara Superior Court has ruled on this issue, “more litigation on this matter” may occur in the future.
On Wednesday, April 10, the Quaids filed a lawsuit in Indiana against American Surety — which is based in that state — alleging that the company issued the two original $50,000 bonds for their arrest without their consent, according to an article in The Indianapolis Star. The couple missed an October 2010 court date — they had been charged with squatting, among other counts — after which the court increased their bond amounts to $500,000 each.
Those higher bonds were soon forfeited when the Quaids skipped out on another hearing; that left them responsible for the bonds’ repayment. Although the Quaids’ agreement (or lack thereof, as they claim) with American Surety is unknown, after Friday’s Santa Barbara hearing they could owe the $500,000 to the company. In November 2011, American Surety asked Santa Barbara Superior Court to exonerate the company of the two $500,000 bonds. That request was denied, with Ochoa saying the company owed the money after failing to produce the Quaids.
Deputy District Attorney Anthony Davis said, as far as he knows, the couple is still in Canada, where they fled following their charges related to the reported squatting incident. Davis said the charges against the couple still stand, as does a warrant for their arrest. They each face counts of felony vandalism and misdemeanor unauthorized entry of a house. Authorities accused the Quaids of breaking a mirror in the home, rearranging furniture, and scratching “RQ” into the mailbox. Davis said Evi also faces a charge of misdemeanor resisting arrest and a separate warrant for being in violation of her misdemeanor probation for skipping out on a $10,000 bill from the San Ysidro Ranch in September 2009.
As of January 2013, Randy’s request for permanent Canadian citizenship — Evi is a Canadian citizen — was turned down by Canadian immigration officials. In 2011, the Department of Justice turned down the District Attorney’s request that the couple be extradited. The Quaids — a previous Santa Barbara court appearance involved Evi wearing a credit card on her forehead and Randy donning a fake sheriff’s badge — have also said they are hiding from Star Whackers, which they say kill celebrities.
