BATON ROUGE - A former bail bondsman who let his license expire in 2019 was arrested Wednesday accused of taking a woman's money and not posting a bond for her son.

It happened at the East Baton Rouge Parish jail last month.

Tykisha Mason said she met Val Thierry and handed him $2,060 last month. Thierry went into the jail, came out, and after hours of waiting, Mason's son never walked out.

"The lady from the guard shack came out and said 'What are you waiting on?'" Mason said. "I said, 'My son is supposed to be released,' and when she contacted inside the prison, she said no bond was posted for Deantae Mason."

That's when Mason said she began trying to get in touch with Thierry. At first he did not answer her calls, then when he eventually did, she was told she would not be getting a refund.

The Department of Insurance sent Thierry a cease-and-desist order Monday as the WBRZ Investigative Unit began asking questions. The agency also confirmed that Thierry's license was revoked and expired in 2019. Investigators said from 2019 until 2022, he's posted 17 fraudulent bonds by forging his bond information on the documents.

"I really just want my money back," Mason said. "I'm not trying to hurt anyone. I wanted my son home. I had to raise that money. That wasn't money I automatically had."

Thierry was booked into the Ascension Parish jail on a warrant from East Baton Rouge. He'll be transferred to Baton Rouge and booked on theft, forgery, and filing false public records.