Bounty hunters
An American bounty hunter has captured fugitive Max Factor heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster in Mexico. Read our guide to the strange world of the real-life Renegades.
1. Three bounty hunters, two television cameraman and the fugitive heir to a cosmetics fortune are today in the hands of the Mexican authorities.
2. The reason: the bounty hunters went after the cosmetics fortune heir, Andrew Luster, who fled a court that later sentenced him in absentia to 124 years for multiple counts of rape, poisoning and drug possession. The cameramen were there to film the snatch, which was made at streetcorner taco stand in the Mexican seaside town of Puerto Vallarta.
3. But bounty hunting is not a legal practice in Mexico - it is considered kidnapping.
4. The situation could not be more different in the United States, where bounty hunting is effectively part of the criminal justice system. (Listen out for the music on this link, and check out some of the articles lower down: the art of interrogation in private practice; dumpster driving and the law.)
5. Bail bondsman pay bail for those who can afford it. But if a defendant runs off ("skip" in bounty hunter language), a bounty hunter is hired to bring them back to face the music.
6. One of the most famous is Duane Chapman, who calls himself "Dog the bounty hunter" and is based in Honolulu. He was one of three who went after Luster, backed up by two of his sons and two crew members from the US television show America's Most Wanted.
7. Mr Chapman was previously a leader in a motorcycle gang called the Devil's Disciples, and was convicted in the 1970s for playing a role in a fatal shooting that took place during a drug deal. But he is now a born again Christian.
8. He says his nickname, Dog, stands for God in reverse.
9. And, on his website, he sets out his mission statement: "From 18 to 80 Blind crippled or Crazy If they can't walk or crawl we'll Drag Em Back".
10. If you are in the United States, there are plenty of people ready to train you to follow in his footsteps. You too could be a bounty hunter.
2. The reason: the bounty hunters went after the cosmetics fortune heir, Andrew Luster, who fled a court that later sentenced him in absentia to 124 years for multiple counts of rape, poisoning and drug possession. The cameramen were there to film the snatch, which was made at streetcorner taco stand in the Mexican seaside town of Puerto Vallarta.
3. But bounty hunting is not a legal practice in Mexico - it is considered kidnapping.
4. The situation could not be more different in the United States, where bounty hunting is effectively part of the criminal justice system. (Listen out for the music on this link, and check out some of the articles lower down: the art of interrogation in private practice; dumpster driving and the law.)
5. Bail bondsman pay bail for those who can afford it. But if a defendant runs off ("skip" in bounty hunter language), a bounty hunter is hired to bring them back to face the music.
6. One of the most famous is Duane Chapman, who calls himself "Dog the bounty hunter" and is based in Honolulu. He was one of three who went after Luster, backed up by two of his sons and two crew members from the US television show America's Most Wanted.
7. Mr Chapman was previously a leader in a motorcycle gang called the Devil's Disciples, and was convicted in the 1970s for playing a role in a fatal shooting that took place during a drug deal. But he is now a born again Christian.
8. He says his nickname, Dog, stands for God in reverse.
9. And, on his website, he sets out his mission statement: "From 18 to 80 Blind crippled or Crazy If they can't walk or crawl we'll Drag Em Back".
10. If you are in the United States, there are plenty of people ready to train you to follow in his footsteps. You too could be a bounty hunter.
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