Dog the Bounty Hunter found fame after being arrested for chasing $1million case
Duane Chapman, best known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, has made headlines on multiple occasions. However, the television personality’s first major headline was when he captured a wanted man, Andrew Luster, in Mexico. It kick-started his career. After a makeup heir went on the run on a $1 million bail and fled to Mexico, only […]
Duane Chapman, best known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, has made headlines on multiple occasions. However, the television personality’s first major headline was when he captured a wanted man, Andrew Luster, in Mexico. It kick-started his career.
After a makeup heir went on the run on a $1 million bail and fled to Mexico, only one man appeared to be up for the job of capturing him – Dog The Bounty Hunter.
Dog the Bounty Hunter went after Andrew Luster. After getting arrested himself and later freed, he found international fame for tracking down the defendant.
Read on to find out more about the case which made Dog the Bounty Hunter famous and how it led to his own TV show.
The case of Andrew Luster
He is the son of Henry Luster, a psychiatrist, and Elizabeth Shore. His mother was adopted by Max Factor Snr’s daughter, Freda.
In 2000, The New York Times reported Luster was arrested after a student said she had been raped at his home.
Luster ended up posting $1 million bail. However, he failed to appear in court for his trial, leading to Dog the Bounty Hunter chasing the suspect down and bring him back to face justice.
Dog the Bounty Hunter caught Andrew Luster after he fled to Mexico
After “living it up” for a year in Mexico, Luster was caught by none other than Dog the Bounty Hunter himself. However, this was before his TV fame. Dog’s part in the 2003 case sparked his own path, and he was given his own show on A&E a year later.
The makeup heir was handed a 124-year prison term after being convicted in absentia of 86 counts. This included rape of an intoxicated person, rape of an unconscious person and sexual battery. Luster’s sentence was then reduced to 50 years in jail in 2013, writes Hollywood Reporter.
Andrew is currently in prison at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California.
Ordered to pay a total of $40 million to two victims, Andrew declared bankruptcy. He had to sell most of his property to pay the damages.
Under California law, Luster has to serve 85% of his sentence. After that, he might be eligible for early release for good behavior.
Andrew will be in his 90s by then.
Why was Dog the Bounty Hunter arrested in Mexico?
Chapman and his team tracked Andrew in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. However, the 69-year-old was arrested along with two other TV crews when trying to capture Luster.
In the United States, bounty hunters have powers similar to cops. However, it was considered as ‘serious kidnapping’ under Mexican law.
A panel of judges in Mexico decided Duane could not receive any of the bail money. It was later found he wouldn’t face any criminal charges for capturing the fugitive.
Dog the Bounty Hunter, his son and brother who were arrested, were released. The star went back to the United States with his crew. However, the famous case sparked international recognition. Dog was offered his own A&E show the following year.