Best Fugitive Recovery Podcasts (2025)

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Two Bail Agents Break Down A Category Five Hurricane, A New Bail Law, And A Wild Fugitive Capture Story 31:10

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3d ago31:10

31:10

Send us a text A hurricane roars toward Jamaica while the ground shifts under our feet at home, and we’re trying to make sense of both. We start with the uneasy calm of coastal life—stocking up, watching the radar, calculating risk—and move straight into the human ripple effects of a potential government shutdown: SNAP benefits on the line, rumors …

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Sex Work, Cults & Binge Eating: Bianca's Story 45:20

5d ago45:20

45:20

Trigger warning: This episode discusses eating disorders, substance abuse, domestic violence and pregnancy loss. Bianca is a full-service sex worker addicted to feeling good. When she works, the urge for alcohol and drugs disappears, but for as long as she can remember, she has been chasing dopamine through binge eating, ice addiction, or sex. In t…

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How A Drone, A Scorned Girlfriend, And Some Legwork Saved A $25,000 Bond; 31:08

14d ago31:08

31:08

Send us a text A fan from Bangladesh, a lawn seat that costs a fortune, and a $25,000 bond saved without a scuffle—this one moves from global shoutouts to ground-level action fast. We open with the audience love and then tear into the mess of modern ticketing: primary prices that start high, fees that stack higher, and a resale system that multipli…

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Cooper Chapman: Life After a Year Off Alcohol 41:39

19d ago41:39

41:39

He’s an ex–pro surfer. The biggest DJ in the world is in his family. And he’s one of the few people I’ve spoken to who took a full year off drinking… then chose to go back. But that year changed everything for Cooper Chapman. Cooper doesn’t demonise alcohol, he just has a completely different relationship with it now. After losing people close to h…

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Skippy is high on drugs and low on hygiene 26:53

22d ago26:53

26:53

Send us a text A father calls, a shed door creaks, and the heat hits like a wall. That’s how our chase for “Skippy” ends—quiet, tense, and painfully human. From there, we pull the threads that tie a single arrest to a web of policy, media narratives, and the everyday math of justice in North Carolina. We talk openly about how national clips on ICE …

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A Wild Chase and What We Lost Along the Way 28:44

24d ago28:44

28:44

By Chad and Rob

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Kacey’s Partner Wanted to Kill Her: Surviving Domestic Violence 39:21

26d ago39:21

39:21

Would you recognise the early signs of domestic violence? Kacey Jackson grew up in a lower socioeconomic town with an alcoholic father and was never shown what a healthy relationship or boundaries looked like. After being love bombed by a new partner, she found herself trapped in a violent relationship just three months later. One night, after five…

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From a Southport Shooting to finding Felicia hiding in a bedroom 34:35

1M ago34:35

34:35

Send us a text A door cracked open, a quiet voice, and a choice to slow down—that’s where today’s conversation becomes a story worth keeping. We start light with jokes, shirts, and a quick nod to the Off The Hook Gear shop, then pivot hard into local headlines: a Southport shooting, a community grieving, and a frank talk about veteran mental health…

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How to Help Without Enabling: Addiction Coach Conrad Tracey 55:01

1M ago55:01

55:01

⁠Conrad Tracey⁠ joins me again on the podcast, this time in the studio. He’s an addiction coach whose own story of transformation shapes the way he helps others break free from dependency. We talked about what it takes to become an addiction coach, the emotional challenges of working with people in deep addiction, how families can support without e…

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When Small Town Police and Bail Bondsmen Join Forces, Nobody Stays Hidden 32:51

1M ago32:51

32:51

Send us a text The delicate dance between bail bondsmen, local law enforcement, and rural communities takes center stage in this revealing episode about tracking down fugitives hiding in plain sight. When a bondsman named Derek reaches out for help with a challenging case, Chad and Rob spring into action, tracking a woman with five outstanding warr…

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“I Can’t Leave the Kids With You” Justine on OCD, Perimenopause & Sobriety 50:49

1M ago50:49

50:49

For as long as she can remember, Justine Santowiak's OCD was the driving force behind her behaviour. But it wasn’t until she was 45 that she finally got a diagnosis. One day, scrolling through social media, she came across a clip of someone describing their own OCD and emetophobia, and for the first time in her life, she felt seen. After 45 years, …

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Bail, Justice, and America's Turning Point 31:04

1M ago31:04

31:04

Send us a text From bucket list concerts to America's cultural tipping point, this raw and unfiltered episode of Off the Hook takes listeners on a journey through personal experiences and pressing national conversations. The episode begins with Chad's enthusiastic recounting of his VIP experience at a Pantera concert, complete with backstage passes…

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Living on the Streets & Sleeping on Trains: Wayne’s Story 51:30

2M ago51:30

51:30

Wayne lost everything to drugs, his home, his family, and almost his mind. Growing up as one of four boys, he prided himself on being the last man standing when it came to drink. But once drugs entered his life, everything changed. He spiralled into psychosis for days, ran through national parks convinced people were after him, spent time in multip…

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The Real Cost of Bail Reform and “Cashless Bail” 29:21

2M ago29:21

29:21

Send us a text What happens when good intentions lead to dangerous policies? In this riveting episode, bounty hunters Chad and Rob pull back the curtain on America's failing bail reform experiment. They share the heartbreaking story of a young Ukrainian woman who fled war only to be murdered in Charlotte by a man released 16 times through pretrial …

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Silencing Food Noise and Sugar Addiction with Vanessa Kredler 40:38

2M ago40:38

40:38

Today I’m joined by Vanessa Kredler, a Sydney-based Counsellor and Psychotherapist who specialises in helping adults recover from food and sugar addiction, disordered eating, trauma, and other addictive behaviours. Vanessa combines her own lived experience with clinical expertise to guide people towards lasting recovery. In this conversation, Vanes…

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The $80,000 Chase: A Bounty Hunter's Tale from Louisiana 22:08

2M ago22:08

22:08

Send us a text Ever wonder what happens when someone skips bail? Martha Chase, a seasoned bail bonds lady pulls back the curtain on the high-stakes world of fugitive recovery during this revealing conversation. Martha shares the harrowing tale of an $80,000 bond gone wrong when a county clerk improperly unsecured her defendant's bond without judici…

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Trafficking, Death & Fugitive Life: Braiden Tonks 1:07:25

2M ago1:07:25

1:07:25

Braiden Tonks grew up in his father’s shadow, carrying a reputation for violence and anger. He leaned into that image to start selling party drugs in his hometown in Tasmania. After trying ice at an after-party, he quickly escalated to smuggling it across the Tasmania to Melbourne border. On one return trip, he was caught with $40k in cash on his b…

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The Queen of Bail: Michelle Esquenazi on Fighting for the Bail Industry 28:27

2M ago28:27

28:27

Send us a text Michelle Esquenazi – the self-proclaimed "Queen of Bail" from Brooklyn and President of the National Association of Bail Agents – brings her fiery passion and straight-talking wisdom to the Off the Hook podcast. Recording from the North Carolina Bail Agent Association Conference, this energetic conversation cuts through misconception…

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How an App Helped Adriana Finally Quit Drinking 31:15

2M ago31:15

31:15

Adriana’s life has been shaped by alcohol since before she was born. Growing up with an alcoholic father who abused her mother, she always knew something was wrong, but it wasn’t until she confronted her parents that she discovered the full truth about her family. Her own drinking went unchecked for years, hidden behind constant travel and a busy l…

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Crackheads and Convenience Store Takedowns 31:24

2M ago31:24

31:24

Send us a text What happens when a con artist thinks he can outrun justice? Follow Chad and Rob as they unravel the chase for a fugitive who skipped on a $50,000 bond in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The hunt begins at an abandoned camper filled with court papers and suspicious merchandise, suggesting theft and drug activities. Despite having his d…

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Jeremy Donovan Grew Up With the Wrong Identity 47:55

2M ago47:55

47:55

Jeremy Donovan spent his whole life believing he was Māori. Orphaned young, he was whāngai’d (fostered) into a Māori family. But a court appearance for graffiti charges revealed the truth: he is Aboriginal. Suddenly, everything shifted. Who am I? Where do I belong? Especially when the only images of Aboriginal people in the media are negative? This…

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Bail Bond Regulation: A Conversation with John Cable 36:01

3M ago36:01

36:01

Send us a text The mysterious world of bail bond regulation comes to light in this revealing conversation with North Carolina Deputy Insurance Commissioner John Cable. Drawing from his 42 years in law enforcement, Cable offers unprecedented access to the inner workings of how the bail industry is overseen and what bondsmen need to know to stay comp…

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The Trans Model Addicted to Ice 1:03:11

3M ago1:03:11

1:03:11

JOIN THE UNSPOKEN: https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking Marni’s earliest memory is knowing she wasn’t in the right body. Born male and adopted from Ethiopia, she spent her childhood feeling like a stranger to herself. At 18, Marni had bottom surgery, transitioning from a man to a woman- believing it would finally make her feel complete. But the reli…

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From Charlotte to Nashville: A Bondsman's Wild Pursuit 22:00

3M ago22:00

22:00

Send us a text Finding fugitives isn't just about tracking—it's about adapting to whatever strange situations arise along the way. This becomes abundantly clear as veteran bondsman Jason Cunningham takes us on a wild journey through some of his most memorable recoveries during his 18-year career with US Bonding Company in Charlotte, North Carolina.…

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Davey Lloyd: Straight off a Bender to The Bachelorette 41:07

3M ago41:07

41:07

JOIN THE UNSPOKEN: https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking What happens when a party boy struggling with addiction goes on reality TV? Davey Lloyd was on Season One of The Bachelorette with Sam Frost — and in true Davey style, he showed up straight off a bender, going on to become one of the biggest kooks in Australia. Always feeling like he was living…

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Forced to Inhale Glen 20 Spray While Pregnant: Tracey-Lee 55:12

3M ago55:12

55:12

Tracey-Lee was only four years old when a male family member abused her. Throughout her childhood, the trauma was compounded by denial: She was told a version of events that didn’t match the truth she felt in her body. This rewriting of her reality left a deep and lasting fracture in her sense of self. By the time she reached adulthood, this broken…

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Side Chicks, Stolen Guns, and the Art of Fugitive Apprehension 30:10

3M ago30:10

30:10

Send us a text Ever wondered what really happens when bail recovery agents corner a fugitive? Chad and Rob pull back the curtain on the gritty realities of bounty hunting with the riveting story of Terrence , a high-risk fugitive they tracked down in Cleveland. After receiving a call from a bail agent struggling with a $50,000 skip, Chad and Rob fl…

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Shelley Was Brutally Attacked by a Stranger (Part 1) 28:44

3M ago28:44

28:44

JOIN THE UNSPOKEN: https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking I don’t say this lightly, but this is one of those stories that stays with you for days, maybe even weeks. We begin with Shelley as a child, witnessing her older brother accidentally take his own life while they were playing. But somehow, that’s not the most traumatic part of her story. Shelley…

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How Do You Handle a 90-Year Old Gun Carrying Bond Jumper? 29:42

3M ago29:42

29:42

Send us a text Two bail bondsmen venture into rural North Carolina to track down an unexpected fugitive – an 89-year-old man who's skipped court after being charged with forgery. What begins as a routine recovery quickly transforms into a tense standoff when they discover ominous warning signs and ammunition on the property. The latest episode of O…

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Breaking the Cycle of Alcoholic Fathers: Zac Swanton 41:05

3M ago41:05

41:05

All Zac ever wanted was to be his dad’s best friend. As a kid, he longed for the kind of closeness he saw between his friends and their own fathers, but his own reality couldn’t have been more different. Zac was known as the outgoing, loveable party boy — traits that gave his addiction a nod of approval to continue. After eight overdoses, toxic rel…

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Intergenerational Abuse: Manda’s Story 27:26

4M ago27:26

27:26

JOIN THE UNSPOKEN: https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking Child sexual abuse has been touched on in a few of my past episodes, but in Manda’s story, it stretches across generations. For Manda, she was sexually abused at just five years old, at the hands of someone known to the family. Years later, she would face the unimaginable: walking in on her own…

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Tegan De Vil: Loving Your Partner in Addiction 54:45

4M ago54:45

54:45

When I sit across from my guests, they often share the darkest chapters of their past. But for Tegan, she’s living through it right now — in real time. Tegan and Jax are widely known for their hilarious, comedic videos that have earned them hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. So when Tegan posted a raw, emotional video — alone a…

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Bail Bondsmen vs Meth Batman 28:49

4M ago28:49

28:49

Send us a text In this episode Chad and Rob discuss the verdict on the Diddy trial and that he was denied bail but has justice truly been served? As we reminisce about the changing music industry, Chad talks about how we were able to listen to music in the 80s was limited to radio stations and cassette tapes unlike today where there are so many opt…

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Fugitive Hunting in the Homeless Camps 30:20

4M ago30:20

30:20

Send us a text A cold lead becomes a hot pursuit as professional bounty hunters Chad and Rob take us deep into the world of fugitive recovery. When Ohio bail agent Dana reaches out about a $50,000 bond jumper who's fled to North Carolina, the chase is on. The trail begins with family connections in Greensboro - distraught relatives, an ex-husband e…

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The Sugar Baby 38:27

4M ago38:27

38:27

Taylor started sleeping with men when she was just 16 years old. From a young age, she was hanging around older boys for drugs and what began as one man to fund her addiction quickly escalated to posting herself on a sugar baby website. Taylor lives with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and currently has two parents in recovery. She hopes shar…

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When Boyfriends Lie and Fugitives Hide 29:05

4M ago29:05

29:05

Send us a text Two veteran bail enforcement agents share the bizarre, comedic, and strangely human story of tracking down "Tiffany the Meth Head" - a fugitive who skipped bail and fled to Rock Hill, South Carolina. Chad and Rob take you along on their four-hour journey to track her down, leading to an unforgettable confrontation with her nearly too…

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Michael Lappin: The Comeback After Relapse 35:16

4M ago35:16

35:16

I've been following Michael Lappin on social media for a while now and even reached out to him when Soberly Speaking first launched, hoping to have him on as one of my guests. Weeks passed without a reply—until I came across a video where he shared he had relapsed. Michael's story, and this interview, really show how messy and non-linear addiction …

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From Hospital Halls to Handcuffs: A Bail Bonds Pursuit 28:45

5M ago28:45

28:45

Send us a text The pursuit of justice sometimes takes unexpected turns, especially when a seemingly reliable bond jumper decides to disappear. In this riveting episode, we dive deep into the case of Jamar, a social worker whose $15,000 bond led us on a cross-state manhunt with multiple twists and challenges. When we first encountered Jamar, all sig…

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How One Year Without Alcohol Changed Julia Vogl’s Life 47:38

5M ago47:38

47:38

Julia Vogl never identified with having a drinking problem, but she realised alcohol was holding her back and capping her potential. It’s a story so many can relate to, knowing something isn’t good for you, not being addicted to, yet continuously crawling back to it. Growing up confused about her sexuality and living with internalised homophobia, s…

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Bounty Hunters vs. Kilo: The Rubber Round Takedown 27:03

5M ago27:03

27:03

Send us a text Dive into the dangerous world of bail enforcement with Rob and Chad as they share the unforgettable pursuit of "Kilo," a fugitive facing his third strike who would do anything to avoid capture. After setting up surveillance operations across multiple locations in Greenville, North Carolina, the duo finally spots their target at a fam…

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Fearing Sobriety More Than Death with Patrick Kennedy 44:12

5M ago44:12

44:12

Patrick’s struggle wasn’t just with alcohol and drugs, they were symptoms of a much deeper issue: his inability to sit with discomfort. For years, he convinced himself that, “Once my mental health is under control, I’ll stop drinking.” A lie I’m sure we’ve all told ourselves at some point. In the beginning, alcohol seemed like the solution, the onl…

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The Unspoken: Giving Birth on a GHB Bender 2:56

5M ago2:56

2:56

Join The Unspoken HERE: https://www.patreon.com/c/soberlyspeaking This is my most controversial episode to date — and it’s now live on The Unspoken, Soberly Speaking’s new membership on Patreon. After being abused by a family member as a child, Zoe’s life was chaos from early childhood. She fell into addiction young and remained trapped in a cycle …

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More Than Money: The Hidden Truth Behind Bail Bonds 32:30

5M ago32:30

32:30

Send us a text The unseen heroism of bail bondsmen takes center stage in this riveting episode that peels back the curtain on what really happens when someone's life is upended by false accusations. Chad kicks things off sharing his family experience at a Metallica concert, complete with insights about musical authenticity that sets up the episode'…

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Closeted, Queer and Jewish: Andrew Moses 50:48

5M ago50:48

50:48

Andrew Moses grew up as a closeted Jewish gay boy, feeling immense pressure to be academically successful, marry a Jewish woman, and have Jewish children, all while battling the belief that something was fundamentally wrong with him. To fit in, he started using party drugs, masking his true identity and trying to convince everyone, including himsel…

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Introducing 'The Unspoken’ 2:51

5M ago2:51

2:51

These are the stories people don’t believe until they hear them. The unimaginable lives. Told with courage, by some of the most resilient humans I’ve ever sat across from. This is The Unspoken. Starting this Thursday, 5th June, Thursday episodes become The Unspoken — and will live on Patreon. This isn’t about gatekeeping. It’s about survival. It’s …

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Master Conman Poses as Barrister and Gets Away with It 46:35

5M ago46:35

46:35

Welcome to Criminal Fugitives, the podcast that delves deep into the world of notorious escapees and the relentless pursuit to bring them to justice. At Criminal Fugitives, we uncover the untold stories of high-profile manhunts, exploring the lives of fugitives and the law enforcement agencies working tirelessly to apprehend them. Whether it's infa…

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The Serial Killer Who Almost Escaped Justice: A Shocking Close Call 51:10

5M ago51:10

51:10

Welcome to Criminal Fugitives, the podcast that delves deep into the world of notorious escapees and the relentless pursuit to bring them to justice. At Criminal Fugitives, we uncover the untold stories of high-profile manhunts, exploring the lives of fugitives and the law enforcement agencies working tirelessly to apprehend them. Whether it's infa…

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Bobby Joe Long: The Serial Killer Who Loved to Hunt Women 52:34

5M ago52:34

52:34

Welcome to Criminal Fugitives, the podcast that delves deep into the world of notorious escapees and the relentless pursuit to bring them to justice. At Criminal Fugitives, we uncover the untold stories of high-profile manhunts, exploring the lives of fugitives and the law enforcement agencies working tirelessly to apprehend them. Whether it's infa…

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Hooked at Just 12 Years Old 32:17

5M ago32:17

32:17

Last week, we heard from Tiana Wadsworth, and throughout her story, there was one name that kept coming up. Today, we meet him. As a kid, Klayton was infatuated with the drug addicts who hung around his local train station. While other kids looked away, Klayton felt drawn in. To him, they looked like his people. Mirroring someone close to him, Klay…

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The Dark Legacy of Robert Black: A Serial Killer’s Unfathomable Crimes 43:23

5M ago43:23

43:23

Welcome to Criminal Fugitives, the podcast that delves deep into the world of notorious escapees and the relentless pursuit to bring them to justice. At Criminal Fugitives, we uncover the untold stories of high-profile manhunts, exploring the lives of fugitives and the law enforcement agencies working tirelessly to apprehend them. Whether it's infa…