Dog off the Hook for Now

Fri., Oct. 20, 2006 8:27 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

First, the ankle bracelet. Now, the leash.

A Mexican federal court has suspended the criminal case against Duane "Dog" Chapman while authorities gather more evidence, attorneys for the reality TV star announced Friday.

Chapman, whose Dog the Bounty Hunter is the A&E network's top-rated series to date, was arrested last month with son Leland and business partner Tim Chapman (no relation) on a warrant related to their 2003 capture of convicted rapist Andrew Luster, who had fled to Mexico and was tried, in absentia, in California.

It was Chapman's handling of Luster, captured by a camera crew also along for the ride, that won him his own cable show. A one-hour special episode about his current legal situation, Dog: The Family Speaks, aired last month.

But despite the fact that Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term, bounty hunting is illegal south of the border and Chapman's refusal to turn his catch over to Mexican authorities (he returned Luster to the U.S. instead) prompted a charge of wrongful deprivation of liberty.

The Hawaii-based owner of Da Kine Bail Bonds and his crew left the country and never returned for a scheduled court hearing.

U.S. Marshals picked up the three Chapmans Sept. 14 in Honolulu, after a U.S. court signed off on the warrant. The trio, charged with illegal detention and conspiracy, spent the night in federal lockup before being released on $300,000 bail.

All were required to wear electronic monitoring devices, but Chapman was allowed to remove his temporarily earlier this month to travel to New York on business.

"The tide is changing a little bit," Chapman said at a news conference in Honolulu Friday. "If it comes out right, would I do it again? You damn right." Facing extradition to Mexico, he had been looking to strike a deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office, offering to formally apologize, pay a fine and make a generous charitable donation.

Chapman's attorney, William Bollard, said he is seeking a full dismissal of the charges against his client. More than 117,000 people to date have signed an online petition demanding that the U.S. and Mexico drop the case.

"These guys know where to run," Chapman continued, charging that Mexico is becoming a destination for criminals who want to disappear. "Where can we go so the Dog can't catch us?"

The burly bail bondsman said he thought he was following the letter of the law by having a local police officer accompany him on his mission in Mexico. Chapman also alleged that he was following the advice of an attorney there when he chose not to return to appear in court.

Chapman then told the Associated Press he was later threatened by the same lawyer, with the guy in question telling him that he'd be hit with additional legal problems if he didn't pony up "hundreds of thousands of dollars."