Well-known TV bounty hunter and part-time Coloradoan Duane “Dog” Chapman told an audience at his book-signing event last night that the Mexican government has decided not to pursure charges against him for the arrest of rapist Andrew Luster in 2003.
Luster, heir to the Max Factor fortune, was convicted of 86 counts of rape, but he disappeared while the case was on appeal. Chapman was reportedly angry that Luster had evaded a 124-year sentence, and began to search for the fugitive. He located Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, living under the assumed name David Carrera.
Chapman, along with his two sons and a camera crew, took Luster into custody on June 18, 2003, and turned him over to Mexican police for extradition.
Then came Dog’s surprise: the same officials also arrested him and his crew for “deprivation of liberty;” bounty-hunting is illegal in Mexico.
Chapman and his crew were released on bail and allowed to return to the U.S. while awaiting trial, but he believed the U.S. government would extradite him when the Mexican courts formally requested it. Chapman’s fear that he would be incarcerated was well-documented on his TV show, “Dog the Bounty Hunter.”
Chapman’s family, friends, and fans campaigned hard on behalf of Dog, asking everyone from Rep. Tom Tancredo to President Bush to intercede.
Wednesday, his attorney, Brook Hart, said he had been told charges were dropped, but was waiting for an official English translation of a 15-page legal filing.
“All I can say is that the order that the Mexican court issued, I’m told, is based upon a finding that the statue of limitations expired and that the attempted further prosecution of the Chapmans is barred by that statute,” Hart told a newspaper in Honolulu.
Chapman was elated while at an event promote his new book, “You Can Run But You Can’t Hide” at a local mall.
“Viva la Mexico!” he shouted to the crowd.
Chapman is a Denver native who frequently visits Colorado with his family, and has documented many fugitive arrests in the state on his television show, including 16 during one recent trip. He claims over 6,000 career captures.
