'Dog' Chapman released from ankle bracelet

updated 8:48 a.m. ET Sept. 29, 2006

HONOLULU - TV reality star Duane "Dog" Chapman, out on bail while international criminal charges are pending, had his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet removed Thursday for a trip to New York.

A judge agreed to temporarily free Chapman, the star of "Dog The Bounty Hunter," of the ankle bracelet so he could attend previously scheduled appearances on the East Coast, said his attorney, Brook Hart. Chapman will return to Honolulu on Wednesday.

"As a practical matter, traveling around with an ankle bracelet is not a very efficient practice," Hart said.

Chapman was released on $300,000 bail Sept. 15, a day after he and two co-stars were arrested for illegal detention and conspiracy in the capture of a cosmetics company heir in Mexico.

The trio had ensnared convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, on June 18, 2003, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But they, too, were arrested by Mexican authorities.

Chapman must attend extradition hearings to face trial in Mexico, where bounty hunting is considered a crime.

"Mr. Chapman should have stayed in Mexico to resolve the matter" when he was arrested there in July 2003, Hart said.

Chapman's capture of Luster, who had fled the country during his trial on charges he raped three women, catapulted the 53-year-old bounty hunter to fame and led to the reality series on A&E. Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term.

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