Dog the Bounty Hunter to visit San Diego for PBUS national meeting

By Morgan M. Hurley | SDUN Assistant Editor

Local fans of the A&E hit series “Dog the Bounty Hunter” are in for a treat on Sunday, July 8, when Duane “Dog” Chapman joins his spiritual advisor, Rev. Tim Storey, at a Downtown event. The pair kick off the mid-year meeting of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS), held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. This special session will be open to the public.

Chapman and his popular crime-fighting family have been catching criminals on the run and bringing them to justice for eight years on A&E. They just finished filming their final season with the cable network.

Rev. Storey is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker and life coach, and has been offering spiritual guidance to the Chapman family for years. Fans of the television show may remember that Storey married Duane and Beth Chapman, and has made several other appearances on the show.

Duane Chapman first met Storey when his wife introduced them at Orchard Road Christian Center in Denver. Storey prophesized over the bounty hunter during that meeting, telling him he was about to experience a great challenge.

That challenge soon came in the name of extradition.

Years before, Duane Chapman had captured Andrew Luster, the convicted serial rapist and Max Factor heir wanted on a $1 million dollar bond, who was living under an assumed name in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Since bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, the team was arrested, and after being released on bail, they quickly fled back to the United States.

Several years later, Mexican authorities caught up with Chapman, his son and colleague, and they stood in front of a federal judge in Honolulu, Hawaii. Eventually the charges were dismissed, but they said it was a difficult, yearlong struggle.

Now that the show has wrapped, the Chapmans said they plan to spend more time at their home in Colorado, but their lives have not really changed.

“This is our first summer off in nine years,” Beth Chapman said. “It feels good and it’s fun … but we still have to do bail bonds and raise the kids. [Losing the show] is like a death in the family.”

Beth Chapman said she is certain that with this door closing, many more are going to open for her family. “We will be right back,” she said.

As for the PBUS conference, Beth Chapman said she is glad this event is open to the general public because it gives the chance to educate about the bounty hunting business.

“It’s a good opportunity to open up,” she said. “The industry has changed; it’s not a Chicago-style industry anymore and it is a good [industry] for families.” PBUS is the professional association representing the 15,500 bail agents nationwide as the National Voice of the Bail Agent.

In addition to keynote speaker Rev. Tim Storey on July 8, attendees can also hear Duane Chapman speak as well as attend a book signing with the reality star, among other entertainment events. Duane Chapman’s books include 2009’s “Where Mercy is Shown” and 2007’s “You Can Run But You Can’t Hide.”

General admission tickets are available for $35 and include the Rev. Tim Storey event and the book signing with Duane Chapman. VIP tickets for $100 include a special PBUS reception and pre-event VIP admission. VIP reception begins at 5 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m. The Grand Hyatt is located at 1 Market Place (at Harbor Drive), Downtown. Tickets can be purchased at thebountystore.com/”. For more information about the Professional Bail Agents of the United States (PBUS), visit pbus.org.