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Dog the Bounty Hunter Ordered to Stand Trial in Mexico

Bad news today out of a federal court in Mexico. Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman has lost his appeal challenging extradition to Mexico to stand trial on charges of "deprivation of liberty" for his capture of Andrew Luster.

In October, 28 members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice asking her to block the extradition.

Dog had offered an apology to Mexico, pay a fine, make a donation to charity and forfeit his bond money. That should have been enough.

It's time to free Dog. And yes, he's a long-time pal.

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    Dog the bounty (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by wlgriffi on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 10:55:34 AM EST
    "It's time to free Dog. And yes, he's a long-time pal."

    As the law and order nutcases say: "the law's the law". Pals aren't an exception. Why is it that americans insist on being exceptions to international agreements?

    I too... (none / 0) (#2)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 11:06:20 AM EST
      wonder about why you think  he should not be required to return to Mexico and face the charges.

    We have an extradition treaty with Mexico and would likely request that a Mexican national accused of kidnapping be returned (in the  event one of  our courts were to grant him such a reasonable bond and allow him to leave the jurisdiction in the first place!)

      If you believe Mr. Dog has a valid defense for his actions then why not have  him present that defense in a Mexican courtroom?

      Just out of curiousity, if a glory seeking Mexican bounty hunter  comes to the USA and kidnaps Mr. Dog  and turns him over to Mexican authorities but then gets charged for his actions in an American court but then skips his bond and refuses to return from Mexico, will you oppose his extradition to the USA?

    Parent

    duh (none / 0) (#22)
    by shannonmarie on Tue Feb 20, 2007 at 03:08:37 PM EST
    first of all he didnt skip his bond. he was released!

    Parent
    Why does Mexico (none / 0) (#18)
    by Pancho on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 05:12:09 PM EST
    insist that we honor their laws while MILLIONS of them are here violating our immigration and Social Security laws along with numerous other laws?  How about we give them Dog if they agree to stop raping our country?

    Parent
    Excuse me? (1.00 / 1) (#21)
    by richmx2 on Sun Feb 18, 2007 at 08:20:29 PM EST
    Dog had offered an apology to Mexico, pay a fine, make a donation to charity and forfeit his bond money. That should have been enough.

    Besides having interfered with both the Mexican AFI and the U.S. FBI in serving extradition papers on Andrew Luster (and potentially damaging the U.S. case against him), making a public spectacle of himself, starting a fight and skipping his court appearance (the kind of actions that supposedly gets "the Dog" on your trail), Chapman's criminal act is called kidnapping.  

    This is a very serious matter, and "paying a charity" is not an option for what in the U.S. system is a felony.  

    Since people in the U.S. buy narcotics, should the narcotics trafficers who are extradited to the U.S. get off by making a donation to the American Red Cross... or, maybe, Narcotics Anonomous.  

    I don't think U.S. courts would go for that any more than Mexican courts are going to go for a charitable donation by a kidnapper.  

    Hey, that publicity hound did the crime... he can do the time.  

    bad pr (none / 0) (#3)
    by Reportero on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 11:41:50 AM EST
    This is a public relations disaster for the Mexican government. The justice system down here is lacking ... do they really want some minor celebrity helped out by no shortage of curious media outlets shining a light on an embarrassing shortcoming?

    Enough? (none / 0) (#4)
    by Patrick on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 11:47:24 AM EST
    Dog had offered an apology to Mexico, pay a fine, make a donation to charity and forfeit his bond money. That should have been enough.

    I understand that he is a friend, but is it your honest opinion that a justice systems should operate that way?  I mean it's a good start and perhaps after the trial is over it will suffice as a punishment.  But otherwise it smacks of corruption, buying your way out of criminal charges.  Would you be OK with it if that were the standard in the U.S.?

    A fine and community service (none / 0) (#5)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 11:59:45 AM EST
    Yes, that's exactly how it should work. And it happens all the time in the US, especially to upper class defendants. Two Enron traders participated in the scam that ripped off California for about 9 BBBBillion dollars. They got probation.

    well that's PUNISHMENT after conviction (none / 0) (#6)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:11:39 PM EST
      an entirely different issue than whether one should be allowed to evade being brought to court.

       I'd tend to agree Dog should not be harshly punished if convicted but that does not justify advocating placing him above the law.

    Parent

    It happens all the time? (none / 0) (#8)
    by Patrick on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:31:17 PM EST
    It does?   I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing here.  You think people offer an apology, donate to charity and forfeit their bond and charges are dismissed because of that?  I'd like to see a link to that stat.  

    Parent
    Bad news??! (none / 0) (#7)
    by caramel on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:19:30 PM EST
    Do you think this guy should be above the law??? I certainly don't. Under the cover of the law, he has behaved like a thug and has become famous for his self-congratulating show... It's sick to see a bounty hunter made a hero. We should all be equal before the law, now let's see if a Mexican court can enforce the law objectively but that's another matter altogether. I don't feel sorry for the man and his "legal" activities.

    It seems to me (none / 0) (#9)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:37:56 PM EST
    that JM has neither a legal nor logical leg to stand on here, however, Dog is her friend and she is showing laudable, imo, loyalty to him.

    A very human quality.

    and Commendable (none / 0) (#10)
    by Peaches on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:41:31 PM EST
    What was it Walt Whitman said:

    "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.

    Parent

    I like that (none / 0) (#11)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:48:09 PM EST
    My brother always says some quote like "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." or something like that...

    Parent
    that's Emerson (none / 0) (#13)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:53:28 PM EST
     and it was "a foolish consistency..."

    Parent
    Maybe we shouldn't say it the same way every time (none / 0) (#17)
    by roy on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 04:49:15 PM EST
    Whitman was a poet (none / 0) (#12)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:49:28 PM EST
      Rigid logic intellectual consistency and adherence to rules  might well be stifling to the imagination of a poet. Lawyers work in a different milieu.

    Parent
    Yes, I know (none / 0) (#14)
    by Peaches on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 12:56:27 PM EST
    But Lawyers are human too and the poet is much closer to expressing the human heart and soul than lawyer rules of rationale and rigidity. Jeralyn is human with friends and family and, perhaps she should use this forum of hers as only an expression for her lawyer side, but -at times- she show shows us, thankfully, that she is human and has the heart of the poet. I am sure it is in you too Decon.

    Parent
    I'll grant you that (none / 0) (#15)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 01:06:14 PM EST
      and it would probably be a better world if we had more poets and fewer lawyers. However, one can express sympathy, compassion or whatever personal wishes without implying the rules should be different for one's friends.

    Parent
    It would have been nice (none / 0) (#16)
    by Che's Lounge on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 03:50:35 PM EST
    if the US (? Ventura CA sheriff) authorities had been more aggressive in extraditing Luster, since Dog told them where he was. Then maybe Dog would not be in this situation. Andrew Luster was a convicted serial rapist. Dog may very well have prevented more rapes from occurring, while Mexican and US authorities (ironically) screwed around.

    why? (none / 0) (#19)
    by cpinva on Fri Feb 16, 2007 at 05:30:06 PM EST
    Dog had offered an apology to Mexico, pay a fine, make a donation to charity and forfeit his bond money. That should have been enough.

    perhaps, he should do this after his day in court, but he should most surely have his day in court first, just like the rest of us peons.

    last time i checked, mr. dog does this for a living, not out of altruistic motives. what makes him so special, that he should be above the law?

    as my mom says, you're known by the company you keep. you might want to seriously reconsider who your friends are.


    Huh? (none / 0) (#26)
    by cbass79 on Mon Feb 26, 2007 at 03:28:24 AM EST
    What does it amtter what his motives were is the United States/ Mexzico/ The world not better off that Andrew Luster is in jail?

    Parent
    A juvenile response! (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 09:14:09 AM EST
    I though Martin Luther King showed us that laws are not always proper and sometimes should be broken.

    And if Dog was going to court in the US, I would say that he should go to court.

    But Mexico is not the US, and his chance at justice is very limited. Mexico is looking for a chance to prove to the world how "tough" they are on the US while, at the same time, ignoring our laws.

    We should just close the border... completely.. and let them see how well off they are without our tourist dollars and access to our markets.

    And yes, I know that won't happen. And I know it is a bit juvenile, but everynow and then I am siezed with the urge to walk out in my yard and yell!  

    "Shut Up! I gave you the car, bought gas for the car.. Can't you at least say "Thank You?"


    hhmm interesting (none / 0) (#23)
    by shannonmarie on Tue Feb 20, 2007 at 03:36:19 PM EST
    I dont think you can compare narcotics trafficing and the punishment that would follow for such a crime to capturing a sick perverted prediter like luster. He did something the corrupt mexican officials refused to do. He brought justice to someone whos life will never be the same. Maybe we need to change some laws instead of defending the bad ones. Like U S officials had nothing better to do then find a man who brought this terrible person to his fate.

    The right way to do things. (none / 0) (#24)
    by poreefsk on Thu Feb 22, 2007 at 03:41:22 AM EST
    I just don't know why he didn't get in touch with the Mexican Officials first, before he even went down to the Country. He knew he was going into a different Country with Different Laws. I hate to say this but he was not in USA under there laws, he was in another Country and he should take what is coming too him. ( NO MATTER WHAT ). HE IS NOT ABOVE THE LAW BECAUSE HE"S ON TV.
    YOU HAVE TO GO THROW THE RIGHT CONNECTION TO DO THINGS LEGAL IN ANY COUNTRY.

    Whats Wrong (none / 0) (#25)
    by cbass79 on Mon Feb 26, 2007 at 03:25:20 AM EST
    Some of the comments i hear on this website illustrate what is wrong with the legal system in the country. I dont care if he went to the moon to get a convicted serial rapist, is it not the right thing to do? There are so many cases these days that get thrown out because of a technicality when there is definite proof of guilt. Makes me sick to my stomach.