New bail jumper television show features Batesville bounty hunter

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Whether he is saving a life and putting out a fire or finding and bringing a bail jumper in, Batesville native Harvey Flowers’ goal is to treat everyone with the same respect and kindness.

That mindset caught the attention of the producers of the new reality show, “Bail Jumpers: Candid Fugitive Conversations” on the Investigation Discover, or ID, cable channel, which is owned by Warner Bros.

Show Art provided by ID

Flowers, 36, has previously been a firefighter with the Batesville Fire Department and has worked for the last six years for the West Memphis Fire Department. Several years ago, someone suggested he would make a good bounty hunter.

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“I thought about it for a while and decided to take the course,” Flowers said.

He works a two-day (48-hour) firefighter shift, leaving him with five other days in the week to pursue his new profession. He partnered with Tony Yeager and they formed the FROG – Fugitive Recovery Operations Group.

ID’s new series follows bounty hunters from across the country as they engage in unexpected and unforgettable conversations with fugitives once they’ve been apprehended and are on the drive to jail.

Once the fugitive is secured in the back seat, it’s a no-holds-barred dialogue that runs from petty squabbles and rants about significant others to rap sheets and stories about life on the run, and always deep dives into the unbelievable lives featuring the most colorful characters.

The show premiered on March 5. Flowers and Yeager will be featured in episodes throughout the first season.

In the first episode, Flowers and Yeager cross paths with a fugitive who is eager to chat about her obsession with true crime.

Flowers watched the first episode with his fellow firefighters at the station.

“They really liked it, but of course, you know, they had to pick on me a bit and joke around but that’s how we are with each other,” Flowers said chuckling.

Flowers’ four children were also excited to see their father on television.

“They were watching in their rooms, and they’d come running out, yelling about something on the show and being all excited,” he said. “They think it’s pretty cool.”

Flowers said he hopes the show puts bounty hunters in a new light, proving that not all bounty hunters are “mean” and just want to throw folks in jail.

“People just get the wrong idea about us,” he said. “I’m not there to treat people badly. I talk to them and be respectful, and most times, so are they.”

New episodes of “Bail Jumpers” air on Tuesdays starting at 9 p.m. on ID. Use #BailJumpers to join the conversation and follow on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube for exclusive content.