‘Dog’ a wanted man for missed court date
A $150 bench warrant was ordered this week for bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman after he failed to appear in District Court to address a traffic offense.
On Oct. 25, Chapman was stopped by police after he was allegedly traveling 60 mph in a 50 mph zone on the H-1 freeway heading east near the Waialae onramp.
According to court records and officials, Chapman failed to show proof of no-fault insurance for the black 1999 four-door Jaguar he was driving. Failure to provide no-fault insurance is considered a traffic infraction.
He was scheduled to appear at District Court at 8:30 a.m. Monday to address the matter but did not show up.
Chapman's attorney, Howard Glickstein, said his client didn't appear in court because he didn't realize he had to go.
"He thought it was dealt with administratively," Glickstein said.
Someone from Chapman's office at Da Kine Bail Bonds faxed Glickstein a copy of Chapman's proof of insurance and ticket before the Thanksgiving holiday so he could take care of the traffic offense. But the box that indicates the date of his court appearance on the ticket was illegible. "I didn't see any date of appearance," Glickstein said.
Chapman has no-fault insurance but did not have the card with him when he was pulled over, he added.
Chapman didn't intend to violate the law in any way, Glickstein said. He said they plan to deal with the proper authorities today. "We will do whatever is necessary to clear it up," he said.
Chapman is the Honolulu-based star of A&E's "Dog the Bounty Hunter" reality TV show that was put on indefinite hiatus after the release last month of a tape in which Chapman unleashed a racist tirade against his son's black girlfriend.