Section 15-10-63.1. Cash bonds

   (a) The chief magistrate of each county may by written order establish a schedule of cash bonds for the personal appearance in court of any person charged with a violation of an ordinance. The chief magistrate shall designate the officer or officers authorized to accept cash bonds pursuant to the schedule of bonds published by the court. In no event shall any officer or agent who is authorized to issue citations be authorized to accept a cash bond at the time of or in conjunction with the issuance of any citation. The officer accepting a cash bond shall issue a receipt for the bond to the person charged with the violation.

(b) Any person who is accused by citation but has not been arrested may, but shall not be required to, give a cash bond for his personal appearance in court for trial. If a person who has given a cash bond fails to appear for trial, the failure to appear shall be deemed to constitute a guilty plea and such cash bond shall be forfeited upon the call of the case for trial. It shall not be necessary for the county to take any further action to forfeit the cash bond. Forfeiture of a cash bond shall be deemed to constitute imposition and payment of a fine and shall be a bar to a subsequent prosecution of the accused for the violation. The court may, however, in any case enter an order pursuant to which bond forfeiture shall not be deemed to constitute imposition of a sentence and subsequent prosecution shall not be barred; and in any such case the amount of the bond forfeited shall be credited against any fine subsequently imposed.

(c) It shall be the duty of the clerk of magistrate court to furnish the officer or officers authorized under the order with a book of blank receipts consecutively numbered in triplicate and readily distinguishable and identifiable. The receipts shall be completed by the officers when accepting a cash bond so as to show the name of the person cited or arrested, the date of citation or arrest, nature of the offense, amount of cash bond given, and the name of the receiving officer. The receiving officer shall deliver a copy of the receipt to the person cited or arrested at the time the cash bond is given and shall file the original together with the cash bond with the clerk of the magistrate court not later than the next succeeding business day following the date of issuance of the receipt.

Code 1981, § 15-10-63.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1985, p. 417, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 448, § 2.