TVSquad

This week, the First Criminal Court in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico dismissed charges against Duane "Dog" Chapman, who was arrested in 2003 on charges of illegal detention after capturing Max Factor heir Andrew Luster. The arrest eventually led to the A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Last September, Mexican authorities requested Chapman, his son Leland and his work partner Tim Chapman (no relation) be extradited to Mexico to face charges of leaving the country instead of staying for their court date. Chapman has said in interviews that they left the country on the advice of their legal counsel.

The Mexican federal government has halted their case against Duane "Dog" Chapman until more evidence and witness testimonies can be collected. Chapman, star of the popular A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter, was arrested by Mexican authorities in 2003 after apprehending Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, who was later convicted of rape and sentenced to prison. Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, but after posting bail Dog headed back to the US with his son Leland and his work partner Tim Chapman on the advice of Dog's lawyer in Mexico, who told the bounty hunter it wasn't necessary to return for a scheduled court hearing. That decision came back to haunt them, however, when federal agents arrested the three men back in September. Since then, they've been awaiting an extradition hearing to determine whether they'll be sent back to Mexico to face charges. Fans of the series, as well as some members of congress, have rallied around the famed bounty hunter. Dog has been under house arrest, but a judge recently allowed his monitoring bracelet to be removed.

If you're a fan of bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman and want to stay current about what's been going on with him since his capture last month, A&E has a page on their site where Dog's wife Beth gives fans quick video updates on how Dog is doing, as well as his son Leland and his brother Tim, who were also arrested in connection with the arrest of convicted rapist Andrew Luster in Mexico. I've been trying to follow this since it happened, and not much new news has developed in the last few weeks. Beth's updates reflect this, and she mostly just talks about how everyone is doing emotionally. In that respect, I can only recommend this to those who are diehard fans of the series. People looking for the cold, hard facts aren't going to learn much, at least not at this time.

Bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, who was arrested in 2003 on charges of illegal detention after his 2003 capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster that eventually led to the A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter has been released from federal prison along with his son Leland and his partner Tim after posting bail (Dog's bail was $300,000 whereas Tim and Leland's was $100,000 each). The three have had charges pending against them for posting bail but never returning for their court date. A judge has ordered the men to wear monitoring bracelets, not to possess any firearms and to remain in Hawaii until they return to court for extradition hearings which will determine whether they'll go to trial in Mexico. If convicted, Chapman could face six months to four years in prison.

A crowd of supporters gathered at the court house, and A&E filmed the event for the next season of the TV show.