Charlie Sheen is no stranger to the law. He’s also pretty familiar with the freeing power of surety bonds.

The actor spent most of Christmas Day in a Colorado county jail after being arrested on a domestic violence charge. On Friday evening, he stood before 9th Judicial District Court Judge James Boyd.

Around  7 p.m., the star of “Two and Half Men” and movies like “Major League” and “Platoon” posted an $8,500 bond and was released from jail. He’s scheduled to appear in the Pitkin County Courthouse on Feb. 8.

Bail agents and surety companies handle all types of bonds, including jail bonds. These bonds allow people who have been charged with a crime to walk out of jail by basically guaranteeing they will return for their court date.

Arrested parties in need of one of these bonds are usually on the hook for the nonrefundable bond premium, along with local or municipal charges.