‘Dog’ Chapman is
defiant about
pursuing rapistThe bounty hunter was arrested
but says "lots of Mexican girls
can sleep safely" now
LOS ANGELES >> Honolulu-based bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman insisted he was out for justice when his group nabbed fugitive rapist Andrew Luster in Mexico.
"Someone had to stand up to the plate, and we decided to do it," Chapman told the Los Angeles Times in an interview in Puerto Vallarta. "This is (a) ... rapist, taken down. ... Lots of Mexican girls can sleep safely tonight."
Chapman, his brother Timothy and son Leland were ordered Thursday to stand trial in Mexico on charges of illegally capturing Luster, the Max Factor cosmetics heir.
Judge Jose de Jesus Pineda ruled there was sufficient evidence to charge the three with criminal association and deprivation of liberty. They could each face up to eight years in prison if convicted of both counts.
However, under the Mexican justice system, defendants convicted of minor crimes, which include unlawful detainment, can opt out of jail time if they pay a hefty fine, prosecutors said. Chapman's lawyer said the defendants would do that if convicted.
Two other Americans arrested with Chapman, producer Jeff Sells and actor Boris Krutonog, were ordered freed after the judge determined there was insufficient evidence to charge them.
Krutonog was greeted at Los Angeles International Airport by his wife and a throng of reporters last night.
"I think that (Chapman) is an unbelievable hero for doing what he did," he said. "For making the streets of Mexico safe again, I think it's unbelievable."
Chapman, 50, said his current troubles would not end his career as a bounty hunter.
"I will do it again," he said. "We've been doing this for 30 years. That's how I fed (my) babies."
Chapman tracked down Luster last week with the help of an American couple living in Mexico. He then tackled Luster in the early morning, drawing the attention of local authorities and resulting in the arrest of the five men, as well as Luster.
Chapman, free on bail but confined to Puerto Vallarta, said Luster's capture had not gone off quite as planned.
"We're not proud of how we did what we did, but we're proud of what we did," he said. "We didn't want this to happen. Now we have to go through this."
At the family home on Oahu, the bounty hunter's business partner and companion, Beth Smith, said Chapman should be praised, not prosecuted.
"I think it is disgraceful that they are treating him like a criminal," she said. "He has dedicated an entire life to the justice system, bringing fugitives back from all over the place. And now he has grabbed somebody that nobody else could get, and now he is a criminal?"
Prosecutors maintain Luster's dramatic capture violated Mexican sovereignty and claim the Americans should have gone to police instead of snagging Luster themselves.
Chapman and the others were arrested on June 18, about two hours after Luster was captured near a taco stand in Puerto Vallarta, a popular Pacific resort city. Each posted $1,430 bail.
The Chapmans must remain in Mexico and check in with the court every Monday.
Their case will be handed over to a judge in Guadalajara, a process expected to take several weeks.
Luster, who had been on the run for six months, was deported to the United States, where he began serving a 124-year prison sentence for drugging and raping three women. The 39-year-old disappeared during his trial in Ventura County and was convicted in absentia.