A bail bondsman is free on bond after allegedly taking his 7-year-old daughter along when witnesses say he repeatedly smashed into his attorney’s parked Jeep in a truck he’d taken for a test drive.

William Mitchell

Denton police say William “Mitch” Mitchell, 38, had a large amount of cash in the cup holder of the borrowed truck and a small bag of methamphetamine under the seat.

He was free Thursday afternoon after Free Bird Bail Bonds supplied bail on a total $15,000 on charges of endangering a child, possession of a controlled substance and three charges of criminal mischief.

He did not respond to a message asking for comment left at his bail bonds company Thursday.

According to a Denton police report, Mitchell was test-driving a 2008 Ford F250 pickup with his daughter in the truck when he entered the parking lot of an office building in the 100 block of Woodrow Lane. His Affordable Bail Bonds office is in the building, along with the law office of David Moraine.

Moraine is acting as Mitchell’s attorney in a civil suit filed in 2006 against District Attorney Paul Johnson. Mitchell alleged that Johnson harmed his reputation by including his photo in an election flier with information implying that Johnson’s opponent in the race, incumbent Bruce Isaacks, had taken a campaign contribution to drop assault charges against Mitchell.

A federal judge dismissed part of that case and Mitchell is appealing the dismissal. The federal judge remanded part of the case to district court in Denton, where it was dismissed. Mitchell also is appealing that.

Moraine did not return a telephone message left at his law office requesting comment on whether he will continue to represent Mitchell.

Denton County First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck said Johnson’s office would not handle the charges.

“If it comes to the courthouse, we’ll be asking for a special prosecutor,” Beck said.

According to the police report, witnesses saw Mitchell pull into the parking lot about 6 p.m. with the child inside. He pulled up near Moraine’s Jeep Wrangler and backed into it. According to witness accounts, he pulled up and backed into the Wrangler six times, at some point causing it to strike a Ford Explorer parked next to it.

Mitchell was yelling at Mo­r­aine as he struck his Jeep, according to the report.

People inside the offices locked their doors and lowered the blinds, according to the report, and called 911.

The first officer who arrived noted that Mitchell was very agitated and at first said he attacked the Jeep because he was angry with Moraine over a woman. Then Mitchell told the officer it was an accident, according to the report.

He asked the uniformed officer, who had arrived in a squad car, how he could prove that he was really a policeman, according to the report.

A relative arrived to take the child, who wasn’t injured, and police found $2,420 loose in the cup holder and a spilled plastic bag of methamphetamine under the driver’s seat, they noted. Mitchell continued to be uncooperative on the way to city jail and was placed in an intoxication tank on arrival.

According to county records, Denton police arrested Mitchell on April 4 on a charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon. That case is pending.

He has a driving while intoxicated conviction, and records show that Mitchell has appealed 31 speeding tickets and five moving violations to county courts. Of those, he received deferred adjudication on 17 of the appeals and the rest were dismissed.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .