Bail bond company in Missoula shooting withdraws lawsuit over license suspension

A lawsuit filed by a Billings bail bond company protesting the suspension of its license following a fatal shooting in Missoula was recently dismissed after the company withdrew the filing, according to court documents.

Mr. Bail, a Virginia-based company that operates a Billings location, was already under investigation by the Montana insurance commissioner’s office for several incidents involving bond agents operating without proper licensing when two of its agents were arrested after the shooting death of Joshua Wykle in Missoula.

According to court documents, on March 4, police responded to a shooting on Reserve Street and found Wykle dead, surrounded by bail bondsmen from Mr. Bail. According to charging documents, the bondsmen were in Missoula to bring in one of their clients. Prosecutors say one of the bondsmen, Brandon Wakefield, shot Wykle, who was pronounced dead on scene. Wakefield has been charged with deliberate homicide in Missoula County District Court. Another one of the bondsmen, Austin Mistretta, was charged with attempted assault with a weapon.

On March 12, James Brown, the Montana state auditor and commissioner of securities and insurance, issued an emergency order suspending Mr. Bail’s license. Wakefield and Mistretta’s licenses were revoked.

On April 13, the manager of Mr. Bail, Anna Yarbro, filed for an injunction revoking the suspension in Lewis and Clark County District Court. The petition argues that there’s no emergency threat to the public posed by Mr. Bail, so it should still be allowed to operate.

Judge Kathy Seeley denied this request on April 15.

On May 4, Yarbro filed to withdraw the request for an injunction.

“Based on recent court filings in another matter with similar circumstances to Petitioner’s previously filed motion it is not in the interest of justice for Petitioners to pursue this matter further,” the filing states.

Seeley granted the motion the next day, on May 5, dismissing the filing and closing the case.

Because of the order of dismissal, the emergency order will stay in place unless modified by further administrative or judicial action, according to a release from Brown’s office.