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Celebrity Justice8/1/2007 8:29 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
The Dog May Be Free!

TMZ has learned that all Mexican charges may have been dropped against famed bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman and two members of his team -- including his son. We're told these photos were taken moments after Dog learned his fate. Hallelujah!

The group had been charged by a Mexican court with deprivation of liberty, after their 2003 capture of convicted serial rapist Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta. Chapman had traveled to Mexico to retrieve the Max Factor cosmetics heir, who was wanted in the U.S. on rape charges. Luster is now in jail, serving a 124-year term.

The Chapman crew was jailed for a brief time after the incident as bounty hunting is considered a crime in Mexico. While TMZ could not immediately confirm the ruling (because nosotros hablamos espanol only a little), Dog's attorney told us he "has received a favorable ruling from the people in Puerto Vallarta. The extent of that ruling is unknown as we are still in the process of translating it."

Dog, through his publicist, told TMZ, "Viva La Mexico!"

UPDATE: A spokesman for A&E, where Dog's show airs, gave TMZ this statement exclusively:

Earlier this week the First Criminal Court in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico dismissed all charges against Dog, Tim and Leland Chapman due to the expiration of the statute of limitations on the criminal counts pending against them. The order effectively cancelled all pending charges. The ruling is, however, subject to appeal by the prosecution in Puerto Vallarta. If an appeal is sought, it must be filed by Wednesday, August 8th. Our thoughts and best wishes are with the Chapman family as they await the prosecution's decision. More information will be posted on AETV.com as it becomes available.

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Reader Comments

(Page 1 of 28) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments
1.

BABESBLINGANDBOOZE.BLOGSPOT.COM:  1656 days ago

yay?

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2.

alicia727:  1656 days ago

Good for him and his family, God Bless!!

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3.

crymeariver:  1656 days ago

woooooooooot

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4.

QUINCYGIRL:  1656 days ago

WELL LETS HOPE THAT THIS IS TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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5.

Spurs:  1656 days ago

Way to go Dog. You the man!!!!!!!

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6.

Akbari Ali-Ajca:  1656 days ago

dog great american

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7.

Jules:  1656 days ago

Hell Yeah, I love the DOG and family!!!

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8.

budweiser:  1656 days ago

Awesome! Great news for the Chapman Family!

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9.

Spurs:  1656 days ago

To FIBiker - And what good for the world do you do a-hole. The reason they got married on that day was to celebrate and honor his daughters life. And by the way, she was not high and she was not driving. Someone else stole the car. Get your facts straight, a-hole.

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10.

Stacy:  1656 days ago

Love you "DOG!" YEA!!! You go guy, America loves you and your family....mostly your work!

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11.

mid us:  1656 days ago

Oh my God, I hope this is true. They did the right thing, and saved a lot of women from being abused by that pig. Dog and Family: Keep doing what you're doing. So happy for you all:-)

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12.

Dawn:  1656 days ago

haha #4 I watched this show once and went omg.

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13.

Ash:  1656 days ago

About time.. Way to go... His show is coo.. And he does good things... Viva La Mexicoooo

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14.

thedonk:  1656 days ago

Way to go Dog!! It's about time the Mexican govt. got their heads out of their a$$es!

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15.

Nelson:  1656 days ago

Good for them, now please gawd someone get those two a decent stylist and hair person!!!!

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