Duane Chapman, famously known as “Dog The Bounty Hunter,” has joined in the search for escaped New York prisoners Richard Matt and David Sweat.
“No one in the private sector could actually go after them until they put them on the U.S Marshal’s Top 15 List,” said Chapman to TWCNews.
Duane Chapman was the star of the A&E show “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” which was cancelled in 2012 after airing for eight seasons. He is now on “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt,” a reality show on CMT that follows Dog, along with his wife Beth, and sons Leland and Dakota on their hunt for fugitives.
Chapman joins the hunt along with his whole team, and is focusing on gaining leads for the suspects. Bounty hunters have to be careful not to obstruct the police investigation.
“You can’t go up there and jump in the cops’ crime scene or go through the cabin and look for stuff. You’ve got to be very, very careful not to step on anybody’s toes,” Chapman said.
It’s not just interfering with the police the bounty hunters have to worry about, “If a third party gets hurt or if one of these guys, even though they’re escapees, they can get a lawyer and try to sue you if they think you used excessive force, there’s all kinds of things that can go wrong,” said Chuck Jordan, president of the National Association of Fugitive Recovery Agents.
While Chapman is a celebrity, he has accomplished great success as a bounty hunter. In 2003 he captured rapist Andrew Luster who is now facing a 125 year sentence.
It is his network around the nation Chapman believes will lead him to the escapees. Pointing out the accuracy of his leads, he said, “We got the leads about the cabin Friday, and then law enforcement moved on it Saturday.” (RELATED:Escaped Prisoner’s DNA Found In Cabin)