"Dog" the Bounty Hunter

[JohnRich 4]

News:

Judge Keeps Dog Leashed

A federal judge has refused to toss Duane "Dog" Chapman a bone, declining to drop a $300,000 bond against the TV bounty hunter.

The move comes four weeks after a Mexican court dropped charges against Chapman and two others for tracking down and capturing fugitive rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta in 2003.

Luster ended up with a 124-year prison sentence, and Chapman's role in the high-profile case landed him his own reality series on A&E TV, Dog the Bounty Hunter.

However, bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, and authorities charged the Hawaii-based bail bondsman with "deprivation of liberty." At the behest of prosecutors in Mexico, he was apprehended by U.S. Marshals last September. Chapman was released on the $300,000 bond.

But on July 30 Mexican judge Jose Alberto Montes dismissed the charges, which carry a maximum penalty of four years in prison, ruling the statute of limitations had expired. Prosecutors have appealed the decision.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren left the bond in effect last week. The U.S. Office of International Affairs in Washington opposed lifting the bond, and a federal prosecutor apparently wanted more time to evaluate the case...

"We're devastated," Chapman and his wife, Beth, said in a statement. "We love this country and are proud to be Americans, so this is absolutely devastating that we can now roam free in Mexico, but not in our own country."

Source: E! News

[Zipp0 1]

I can only assume that those who want him locked up are wanted rapists living abroad.

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

I can only assume that those who want him locked up are wanted rapists living abroad.

I'm a little confused about why the U.S. prosecutors want him. Is it against U.S. law to violate the law of a foreign nation? Maybe it's some kind of treaty violation?

It seems to me that since it was Mexico's jurisdiction and they have declined prosecution, that the U.S. should have no interest in the matter.

Now, it would be nice if the U.S. attornies would spend as much time prosecuting illegal Mexicans in America, as they are trying to prosecute an illegal American in Mexico.

One thing for sure: Mexico won't prosecute their own citizens who break the law in America.

[Zipp0 1]

Quote

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I can only assume that those who want him locked up are wanted rapists living abroad.

I'm a little confused about why the U.S. prosecutors want him.

Hubris? What made Nifong do what he did? I have said it before and I'll say it again - our legal system is fucked. Many times, when a prosecutor should charge someone, they screw it up somehow, with or without the bungling of police. Then, when they should not even dream of prosecuting, they go all out with the bullshit, it seems to me , for pure ego.

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[Zep 0]

Boy, sure glad I don't live in the land of the free

Gone fishing

[quade 3]

Even though I personally don't like the guy, I'd say let him go.

Further, why the F do we even care about some bounty hunting law in Mexico? I say let's take it one step further and encourge bounty hunting of people that flee the US and go to Mexico where they won't be extradited. The current situation is just F'ed up.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[tigra 0]

It doesn't sound like they want him locked up. They want to keep his $300,000.00 for as long as possible and they're using the fact that the Mexican judge's decision is under appeal as an excuse.

[normiss 622]

previous felony conviction for murder carry any weight on this one?
and why the FUCK did he only do 18 months for MURDER????

[Andy9o8 0]

Mexico and the US have an extradition treaty with each other. Generally, countries with extradition treaties with one another try not to second-guess the underlying charges in the other country for fear of weakening the overall reciprocal effectiveness of the treaty. (Yes, there are exceptions on a case-by-case basis, but that's the general rule.) Since the withdrawal of charges is on appeal, the case remains open, which means the Mexican warrant remains active and valid, which invokes the treaty, which means that the legal basis for the bail to secure his appearance still exists. Also, keep in mind, the US prosecutors didn't make the final decision on the bail issue, a federal judge did.

[JohnnyD 0]

Its just posturing.
The Mexican authorities dropped the charges against the Dog - it was a nice jesture. The prosecutors are appealing, so the US authorities left the bond in place pending the outcome of the appeal. A nice jesture in return. We're trying to not show them up and improve our relations and cooperation. I think we're actually doing a good job too. In CO, there was a recent case of a cop killer fleeing to Mexico. Senator Salazar (I think it was him) got the Mexican authorities to actively pursue the guy and capture him and extradite him for trial. Very cool. Its not an easy situation, but I think it is very slowly getting better.

[mirage62 0]

who'd he kill?

Kevin Keenan is my hero, a double FUP, he does so much with so little

[normiss 622]

apparently it's a very similar situation to the one in Texas we've been discussing. He was charged as an accessory to murder in a dope deal gone bad in the '70s. Somehow he only served 18 months...good thing he wasn't in Texas!
He and his wife both have quite a rap sheet....multiple arrests for all sorts of shit!
damn convicted felons are every where!

I had always wondered why he only carries pepper spray and doesn't drive.

as much as I cannot rely on their information...wiki has a decent history of him.
edit to add: and This