Bounty Hunter Charged After Capture

June 20, 2003 -- — Duane "Dog" Chapman, the bounty hunter who worked for six months to capture fugitive Max Factor cosmetics heir Andrew Luster, now faces charges himself in Mexico, just two days after bagging his quarry.

Mexican authorities confirmed they have charged Chapman with deprivation of freedom related to his involvement in Luster's recovery, his attorney George Garza said.

Chapman is expected to be moved from the local jail he's been held in since Wednesday to the central jail in Puerto Vallarta later today, where he will appear before a judge. He is likely to be released on bail later this afternoon, but it is unclear whether he will be allowed to leave Mexico.

Chapman captured Luster on Wednesday outside a nightclub, but Mexican authorities called to the scene of the capture took both men into into custody while they resolved who was who.

Luster is now serving a 124-year sentence he had dodged by fleeing to Mexico after his conviction in January for drugging and raping three women. He was extradited back to California on Thursday.

Chapman's partner and wife, Beth Smith, told Good Morning America on Thursday how hard they had worked to get Luster. "We've been researching for him. We have ate, slept and drank this person for six months. I've hardly seen my husband. He missed Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day," she said.

Smith, a bounty hunter herself who often works with "Dog," said the long hours were worth it to catch Luster, an heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune who was convicted in absentia of drugging and raping the three women.

"I couldn't be happier that Andrew Luster is in custody. Dog did a very good job. He worked very, very hard."

In the course of their investigation, Chapman's team assembled a "scrapbook" of material on Luster, including information from police, Luster's victims, and even cosmetic surgeons.

Smith said the hunt cost Chapman thousands from his own pocket, in the hopes of collecting the $150,000 reward.

"I love what I do and am honest with what I do and I don't get paid unlessI catch a guy. So I must catch the guy," Chapman told GMA in an interview conducted at the height of the search for Luster.

Dramatic End for Long Search

Chapman's work finally paid off when he received a phone tip after he appeared on television discussing the case.

"A young man had been on vacation in Puerto Vallarta and said, 'Hey, look I think I partied with this guy,' " Smith said.

She said once they verified the information, Chapman jumped on a plane to Mexico and staked out his target.

He finally grabbed Luster in the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday.

Luster was apprehended on an open street as bystanders called police. Unable to sort out who was who in the fracas, authorities jailed Luster, as well as Chapman, his two sons, and a two-man television crew which included a Hollywood actor named Boris Krutonog.

Chapman apparently used his preferred method of subduing a target: a "fire extinguisher-size" can of pepper spray.

Hunter and Fugitive Both Jailed

Because bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, Chapman is now facing legal problems. However, on Thursday, Smith said they'd dealt with similar situations before and that the important thing was that they had taken Luster into custody.

"His main objective was to get Luster into jail and he achieved what he set out to do," she said. "If [Chapman] has to spend a couple days in jail, so be it."

She insisted a few nights in jail are worth the $150,000 reward Luster's capture will yield, as well as the satisfaction of bringing a convicted rapist to justice.

"We want to get this predator," Chapman told GMA during his six month pursuit of Luster. "He was convicted of this by a jury of his peers. He's absolutely guilty."

In making the grab, the bounty hunter beat the FBI. But law enforcement officials were confident they would have eventually found Luster.

"This probably would have gelled with or without the assistance of the bounty hunter. It just happened a little bit sooner," said Bob Mac, an FBI spokesman.

Luster's lawyer, Roger Jon Diamond, told Good Morning America he hadn't communicated with his client while he was a fugitive, but said he planned to appeal the convictions now that Luster is in custody in the United States.

ABCNEWS' Chris Francescani in Puerto Vallarta contributed to this report.