Duane "Dog" Chapman: Dog the Bounty Hunter Off the Hook?

Free Duane "Dog" Chapman was the rallying cry for the man that is the star of the show "Dog the Bounty Hunter."  Now those fans and the Dog may get their wish as Mexican charges may have been dropped against the world famous bounty hunter.  Chapman spokesperson Mona Wood has stated that the charges were dropped but the Chapman is still in the process of sorting out the details.

Duane "Dog" Chapman: Dog the Bounty Hunter Off the Hook?

The Honolulu Advertiser notes that Chapman, along with his son Leland and colleague Timothy Chapman, are accused of unlawfully depriving international fugitive and convicted serial rapist Andrew Luster of his freedom. The three caught up with him last year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and returned him to United States. Luster is now serving a 124-year sentence in California.

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Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico and the group had been charged by a Mexican court with deprivation of liberty.  The Chapman crew was jailed for a brief time after the incident as bounty hunting is considered a crime in Mexico.  They never returned and Mexico wanted them returned to the country to stand charges.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-CO, was one of the 29 Congressmen who tried to intervene. He said in 2006 that he was outraged at the U.S. government’s treatment of the Chapmans and took a shot at Mexican authorities: “Thanks to Mr. Chapman, Luster is now serving a 124-year sentence. It seems that Mexican authorities are pressing this case only because they are so stung by the embarrassment of failing where Mr. Chapman succeeded.”

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Chapman's lawyer, Brook Hart issued this statement according to the Advertiser: "A Mexican court issued an order according to my co-counsel, but I haven't seen an English translation of it," he said. "So tentatively it's very encouraging. On the other hand I can't make any public comment about it one way or the other than to tell you that I believe what has happened is very positive and favorable for the Chapmans and once we get the order and translate it and determine what Mexico is doing, whether they're taking any further action and what (the U.S. attorney's office) may do in response to it, then we will certainly be able to discuss it more completely.

"All I can say is that the order that the Mexican court issued, I'm told, is based upon a finding that the statute of limitations expired and that the attempted further prosecution of the Chapmans is barred by that statute," he said.