Posted on 09/16/2006 10:11:39 AM PDT by Hannibal Hamlin
Television bounty hunter Dog Chapman set free on bail in Hawaii
By Associated Press
Saturday, September 16, 2006 - Updated: 12:08 PM EST
HONOLULU - TV reality star Duane “Dog” Chapman and two co-stars accused of illegal detention and conspiracy in the bounty hunters’ capture of a cosmetics company heir in Mexico posted bail and were released Friday.
Chapman was released on $300,000 bail after spending the night in a federal detention center and his co-stars on the popular A&E show “Dog The Bounty Hunter” were freed on $100,000 bail each.
Chapman, his son, Leland Chapman, and associate Timothy Chapman, no relation, were arrested Thursday on charges stemming from the capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster on June 18, 2003, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, officials said.
Chapman’s capture of Luster, who had fled the country during his trial on charges he raped three women, catapulted the 53-year-old bounty hunter to fame and led to the reality series on A&E. Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term.
Bounty hunting is considered a crime in Mexico, and charges have been pending against the three since local police in Mexico arrested them shortly after they roped in Luster. They posted bail but never returned for their court hearing in July 2003, officials said.
Chapman made the sign of the cross and mouthed “I love you” to his wife, who was sitting in the front row of the crowded courtroom.
The men are now required to wear electronic monitoring devices until they return to court for extradition hearings to face trial in Mexico. The judge said they were not flight risks.
Chapman and his tattooed crew were ordered to surrender their passports, to stay in Hawaii and not possess any firearms.
Defense attorney Brook Hart, who successfully argued during the 1-hour, 10-minute hearing that his clients have no reason to be locked up, called the devices “overkill” but did not object to their use.
“It’s ironic that the bounty hunter would go around with a bracelet while arresting people. But so be it,” he said. Reporters and fans packed the courtroom, and several supporters held signs outside the federal courthouse saying, “Let go our hero” and “In Dog we Trust.” A&E TV crews were filming the events for a future episode of Chapman’s show. “Our whole family likes Dog. He captures people who do wrong. Plus my older sister wants to marry Leland,” said 11-year-old Shannon McNamara, of Los Angeles, who was wearing a Bounty Hunter shirt.
Chapman’s son Leland, 29, and Timothy Chapman, 41, assist him in exploits chronicled for the TV show around the Hawaiian Islands. The show focuses on Chapman’s family as much as the bounty hunting, which generally involves tracking down bail jumpers, often creating emotional scenes with repentant captives.
A member of a biker gang as a young man, Chapman was convicted in 1977 of being an accessory to murder and sentenced to five years in prison.
The Dog marathon is on A&E right now. Watch and learn something, Dane. You need to get a life and do something besides parrot the Mexican consulate and play both sides of the law-and-order fence.
I've never watch him before, but this thread has gotten me curious, so I just flipped it on...thanks for the tip.
He looks like he knows his way around a bottle, doesn't he??
Great point! One need only read Dane's posts and the threads they are on to see that he merely likes to stir the pot. He is NOT pro-laws he is simply pro-illegal immigrants. Dog has done a lot of good things for a lot of people and he tries to reach through to what others view as human garbage and help them redeem themselves, as he did. That is why he is respected and successful at what he does.
This Mexican fiasco smells to high heaven - I agree with those who think the Mexicans were only upset because they were probably on the take to look the other way from Luster.
My husband grew up with a drug addict of a mother and her heavy using friends. He told me earlier today that he didn't like watching Dog's show (I've never seen it), because he thinks they are all tweakers (meth) based on their behavior.
Why are you so pro-Illegal immigration and Pro-Putin???
LOL - I'm sure that is true. I have a feeling that dog would feel much better not having to go in the first place.
Ah, no worries then.
Glad we are all on the same page now.
Later, Dr. Z =-)
Dog will soon by dead if incarcerated in Mexico. He'd be targeted by "I'm tougher than you" types in jails just about anywhere in the world but Mexican jails are notorious for violence.
Sounds like there's folks deliberately seeing to it that people get prosecuted for doing what's right. Many, many, many prayers and blessings to Mr. Chapman and his family...
Me neither, Im sure its closer to 99.97%...
And you may be right.
Did you see the A&E special tonight? I am so furious!!! This is really frightening. The Mexican gov't spits in our faces every chance they get by encouraging illegal immigration yet our stupid gov't cooperates with the corrupt gov't of Mexico regarding a true American hero who put away a vicious serial rapist. This is absolutely horrible.
I just saw an article wherein Fox was quoted as saying that Mexico was ready to start extraditing far more accused felons to the USA. Will post when I see it again...
TV Bounty hunter offers apology, money /
Duane 'Dog' Chapman hopes to avoid extradition to Mexico - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14963188/
Free Dog, bump
Death penalty issue
Capital punishment is illegal here, and a 1978 extradition treaty with the United States allows Mexico to deny extradition if a person faces the death penalty in another country.
In November, Mexico’s Supreme Court removed an obstacle that had prevented many of the country’s most notorious criminals from facing U.S. justice when it overturned a 4-year ban on the extradition of suspects facing life in prison.
Mexico last year extradited 41 suspected criminals to the United States, up from 34 in 2004; 31 in 2003; 25 in 2002; 17 in 2001; and 12 in 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
bttt
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