Duane 'Dog' Chapman Proud of How He Got His Luster
Back in February, I met and interviewed Duane "Dog" Chapman when he was in Las Vegas to attend the Professional Bail Agents of the United States convention at the Luxor. Maybe, that "United States" part of this organization's name should have meant more to him. Chapman proudly told the audience and me in an interview beforehand about his 2003 successful capture in Mexico of Andrew Luster, a fugitive cosmetics heir convicted of rape in this country.
Chapman described this hunt as the challenge that brought out the best and the brightest bounty hunters and proved his preeminence in this field. Chapman had this to say to me about arresting Luster in Febuary: "When he took off, every bounty hunter in the country was looking for him, and the title then was on the line. When the title was on the line, it was very important that I capture him. We captured him." Of course, that capture was in Mexico and not the United States.
Dog admitted to me that more than a few of his competitors have been jealous of him since capturing Luster made him famous. But his colleagues didn't just feel jealous. Dog's reckless image and biker outfits seemed out of step with the rest of the bounty hunters at the Vegas convention who preferred to be called "fugitive recovery agents," wore suits, and talked to me about the latest technological and computer methods of their trade. To those folks, Luster's arrest in Mexico was a classic example of Chapman's Rambo mentality and they were quick to point out the result was that Mexican authorities arrested Chapman and his crew.
After some time in a cell, Chapman and company posted bond and left. Now, apparently, Mexico wants Chapman back and has declared the bounty hunter a fugitive from Mexican justice; the result was Dog's arrest yesterday in Hawaii by a U.S. marshall.
When I spoke to him in February, Chapman was hardly of the mind to give up international bounty hunting. When I asked him who he most wanted to go after next, he didn't even pause before answering: Osama bin Laden. I just hope bin Laden's cave doesn't turn out to be in Mexico.
(Photo: Sarah Gerke / For The Times)
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I think Dog would have a great chance at finding and capturing Bin Laden. It probably wouldn't take him 5 years either.
Posted by: J | September 15, 2006 at 02:21 PM
So, "Comments are 'moderated'"?
Isn't that the same as homogenized, or even censored?
You owe it to your readers to address this.
I sent in comments that were rejected although they were:
1. True
2. Without profanity of any kind.
3. Not libelous
4. Well reasoned (I thought)
5. Though provoking.
Remember your position as a facilitator of news and views. And drop the the pretentious mask of the priesthood of journalism.
Bob Beadle
Posted by: bob Beadle | September 15, 2006 at 03:00 PM
Hello, Bob Beadle. Thanks for reading. I am sorry I don't recognize your name. Therefore I have no idea what comment or comments you are referring to. I've posted everything I received about this item. So, please, just try posting the comment you want to make again. Yrs., Richard Abowitz
Posted by: Richard Abowitz | September 15, 2006 at 03:24 PM
Crims hunting crims , thats interesting so when they start winning does it become the crimson tide ?
Posted by: matthew Hardy | September 15, 2006 at 04:06 PM
So, I just have one question. If the U.S. is prepared to continue with this prosecution, are they prepared for Luster's attorneys to request a new trial? Because if the government allows this to be declared an illegal act of capture, than our own laws prohibit the prosecutor to benefit from the capture (fruit of the forbidden tree and all).
Posted by: Brenda Hart | September 15, 2006 at 05:18 PM
Having a U.S. Marshall arrest Dog demonstrates how the U.S. kisses a-- to the mexican government. Dog arrests a murder suspect, that the mexican government should have turned over to the U.S. and he in turn faces prosecution. The mexican government is corrupt and wont even extradite 'cop killers' back to the States. If they can collect bribe money from the fugitives then they let they hide out. What suckers we are to let them get away with this.
Posted by: scandland | September 15, 2006 at 08:32 PM
Geez,
Maybe we should get Brenda to join Andrew Luster's legal team. The one thing you did forget my dear Brenda is that he still fled and was prosecuted in absentia. Therefore he had already been convicted bringing him back meant he would actually have to do his time. The same could be said of child rapist Roman Polanski. If he were to set foot outside of France, a country that we have no extredition treaty with he would be be scooped up and brought to serve his time for which he has already been convicted and sentenced.
Gotta love our system!!!
Posted by: Issen Alibris | September 16, 2006 at 12:26 PM
Its so easy to forget how many Americans have disappeared in Mexico or have been killed at the border in the last year or two, and we get no help from the Mexican government on those cases. But now the US government is willing to send an American citizen to thier country to be used as an example of so called MEXICAN JUSTICE when half of the government of Mexico is on the take for drug dealers
and other gang members. It will be a sad day, if the US government lets the Chapmans go for a trial in Mexico when they captured Lustor, a convicted Rapist in this country, that was hiding out in Mexico evading extradition to the US and when the Federallies knew him by name.
Posted by: shar | September 16, 2006 at 03:14 PM
This is total unjustice. Dog and his team did nothing wrong. They did what our government wouldn't or couldn't do. So what do they do? They arrest Dog, Tim and Dog's son for Mexico. A country that sends us their drugs and citizens to support. They have sent us their criminals to run loose in our country. What kind of a government do we have? They want to send great people doing their job to a corrupt country. A country that lets rapists and murderers live their and do nothing. This is a sad time in America.
Posted by: Rose Scully | September 16, 2006 at 03:25 PM
The Dog is a joke!Can you imagine him and his "CREW" working the bowels of LA ? HOW Hard is it to find a person on an ISLAND.I cant believe AE still has him on!!
Posted by: Jack | September 16, 2006 at 05:46 PM
I have no sympathy for this guy. He went into Mexico , knowingly violating the law so HE could get HIS face all over the news and become famous, & that is exactly what happened. He could have called the Mexican authorites or FBI to arrest the guy and claimed the reward, but he decided to go it himself for his own gain. I saw an iterview after he got back where he said something to the effect of, "its not about the money or the fame...I would go after people like him (rapists) for free". BS! There are thousands of at large rapists but I dont see Chapman going after them for free.
Posted by: D. Cortez | September 16, 2006 at 08:03 PM
I guess the people who think it unjust that Mr. Chapman got arrested for committing a crime are demonstrating just how much respect for the rule of law they have; their double-standards smacks of racsism subtle but strongly present now matter how strongly denied or ignored.
I would remind my fellow americans that while Mexico has laws against bounty hunting that Chapman knowingly chose to violate, Mexico does have an extradition treaty with the U.S. A responsibility it regularly fulfills, most recently in the case of the druglord Arellano Felix:
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=5417949&nav=9qrx
Posted by: TustonDAZ | September 16, 2006 at 08:29 PM
Excuse me, but if "Dog" Chapman worked LA-he'd find every druggie, rapist and murderer who hides out there and has jumped bail! IF the US Government, who finally showed some guts and released Dog, Tim and Leland with monitors, let him hunt down Osama-he'd take him!
The worrisome thing about all this is the perception that Mexico got embarassed about the wealth of murderers, child rapists and kidnappers loose in their country, and blackmailed the government into arresting the Chapmans. Can our country be bought for 30 pieces of silver? Or one or two extradited fugitives?
Posted by: jtbwriter | September 16, 2006 at 08:36 PM
You gullible sheep who think even for a second that the Mexican government honors any facet of ANY treaty or agreement with the US that does not immediately meet some selfish purpose should do the USA the kind favor of packing your belongings and moving your happy hind ends down below the border to live for a year. Your naive opinions and beliefs should be adequately adjusted after about a year of good 'ol Mexican living. Most of the people there are very nice, very family oriented and fully aware of the depth of corruption within their government. It is an ordinary way of life for them. I learned to keep my eyes open, head down, and to keep enough bribe money free to get me through each month I lived there. Bribes are a expected and accepted way of doing business. Leave Dog alone. The only reason they are coming after him after three years of complete silence on the issue is money. The rapist he brought back is from a monumentally wealthy family. They are making a feeble attempt to seek revenge on Dog. The government officials they paid off to allow the rapist to live in Mexico unmolested are the same government officials that are now being paid to hassle Dog. With that said, anybody want to guess how many convicted felons our presently residing in our prisons who are illegal aliens? Anybody want to guess how many lawbreaking Mexicans are in our country right now, or entered our country this year so far? And we're suppossed to listen to ANYTHING the Mexican government has to say on this issue? OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE! Leave the Dog alone.
Posted by: Democrat Avocat | September 16, 2006 at 10:08 PM
I have an idea. If the Mexican Govt wants murders and rapists in their country we'll gladly ship them down there. In retrun they can ship up two illegals for every rapists and 3 for a murders!
Posted by: Brian | September 17, 2006 at 04:55 AM
So tuston...you have respect for the law because you think that CONVICTED rapists should be able to go free because they go to Mexico?
Posted by: Brad | September 17, 2006 at 06:23 AM
So this guy thinks he can get Osama? I say let him go free and offer a plea bargin to drop all his charges when he brings Bin Ladin into the county in handcuffs. We'll see how much of the DOG is real and how much is Hollywood B.S. Hw shouldn't need a gun like our boys in Afghanistan right? cause he's "The Dog" Just keep him off my clean carpets ok?
Posted by: Greg | September 17, 2006 at 06:33 AM
The only reason why Chapman was prosecuted is because he didn't grease the right Mexican palms with part of the reward money.
Mexico is almost as corrupt as Nigeria and the authorities there should be told to get lost concerning the Chapman-Luster issue.
Posted by: mike | September 17, 2006 at 06:41 AM
George Bush should pardon Dog and end this nonsense. Clearly Dog did both countries a great service. A rapist is now in jail where he belongs and people in both countries are safer.
Posted by: Jim McCormack | September 17, 2006 at 07:47 AM
I want the likes of "Dog" and his team on MY team any time!
Mexico is out of line for covering up cop killers and serial rapists! Why are so many Mexican citizens coming here??? Somethings wrong and needs fixing!
You go Dog!
I bet he could find Bin Laden,our own feds can't do it but i bet he could.
It's all bull.
I love him,his show and his way of thinking.We need MORE like Dog and his crew.
Stop treating criminals with lolipops!
Posted by: BrendaS | September 17, 2006 at 08:20 AM
Mad Dog - a convicted felon! Yes he was sentensed to SEVEN years in prison for involvment in a murder. Goes to Mexico and breaks the law. If he is such a honest guy he could have called the local law enforcement when catching the bad guy. A self-indulged man who because he has a TV show thinks the law does not pertain to him should get a taste of his own medicin. American law does not apply in Mexico.
Posted by: Steven | September 17, 2006 at 08:26 AM
Fact: 65 countries visited + interviewed about 50 attorneys in these countries. Include many govt., police, IMF, UN & local officials. USA is concerned with being the Big Nice Guy. Other govts. enjoy slapping USA and getting $$$. But! The people of these countries want to move to USA. They eat, sleep, buy, breath & love the USA in their blood! What they say is not what they feel. Dog will probably offer $1mill. to pay off/compensate the Mexican Govt. and it will take time to work out! I have been through about 100 traffic stops, inspections, etc. in Mexico, and they love USA! Motorcycle, car, jet ski Police inspections, they do want to be American Citizens. Some Govt. ESQ needs to save face and will get $$ to "go away". I bet this "road bump" is "reversed" into more PR for Dog!! Probably $250,000 a month contract renewal vs. the present $100,000 a month he gets! contract! Example: I went through 14 inspections driving from the south border of Mexico to Puerto Escondido! Every 1 of the inspectors was polite! They know that the US provides much of their equipment! Don't worry, it just takes time to work out details and a reasonable $$$ deal (fine). 2 years is my estimated time for the final "wire deposit".. payment!!
Posted by: Landlord Paralegal 65 countries visited about 50 attorneys talked to! | September 17, 2006 at 12:00 PM
Dog is a lap dog that sits on these bozo's piles that we loosely call comments. Only Rambo can get the Big O and the drug dealers of LA, Dog has to stick to harrasing common folks to make his daily bowl of pulp fiction that these folk get down on their knees and suck into their gut thinking they have fed their brain.
Posted by: Stan Hoffman | September 17, 2006 at 12:42 PM
Steven!
"American law does not apply in Mexico."?
There are NO laws in Mexico, have you ever been there?
You can "pay" for every infraction! You never have to go to court if you have money!
Mexico is a total lawless shit hole!
Do you ever see Americans sneaking across the Mexican border under the cover of darkness?
And then illegal Mexicans have to balls to protest on our streets? Ridiculous.
Posted by: John | September 17, 2006 at 02:39 PM
I hope they keep this moron locked up for life. Anyone that profits on the misfotunes of others deserves the karma coming to them. 'Bounty Hunters' rank at the very bottom of my list of low-lifes. Just below pawn shop owners.
Good riddance and please don't send us any post cards.
Posted by: re: Dog Chumpman | September 17, 2006 at 03:14 PM