Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has taken on the cause of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” reports the Salt Lake Tribune
Shurtleff says he is trying to use connections he has forged over the years with top levels of the Mexican government and its various attorneys general to get extradition proceedings dropped against Duane Chapman, the bail bondsman in Hawaii who has become famous through the reality show “Dog the Bounty Hunter” on A&E.
Chapman went to Mexico several years ago to catch serial rapist Andrew Luster, heir to the Max Factor fortune, who had jumped bail and fled the United States. Chapman nabbed Luster in Puerto Vallarta and turned him over to the FBI. Luster, accused in over 80 rapes, is now serving 120 years in federal prison.
But because bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, Chapman was arrested there. He posted bond and was released, but now is wanted by Mexican authorities for jumping bail.
Shurtleff says he is motivated by several issues – helping the guy who caught a serial rapist is foremost among them. But he also believes in the role bounty hunters play in the justice system, and he fears this high-profile controversy will hurt U.S.-Mexico relations.
He believes he can have a calming effect with Mexican authorities because of his past attempts to work with that government to solve immigration issues.
