The following news are about the fight at the Aztek Motel shown in the episode 'This Dog Can Hunt' from Season 2.

Zitat

---

TV bounty hunter cited in alleged motel assault
The Gazette (Colorado Springs), Jun 11, 2005 by R. SCOTT RAPPOLD[/size]

[CORRECTION: The story had the wrong last name for Beth Smith. She is a partner of the show's star, Duane "Dog" Chapman, and describes herself as the stepmother of Leland Chapman. Correction ran 6/14/2005.]

A bounty hunter who appears on the cable television program "Dog the Bounty Hunter" was cited by police for third-degree assault Friday night after a fight at a Colorado Springs motel.

Leland Chapman, son of the show's star, Duane "Dog" Chapman, was accused of assaulting Roy Barnes, owner of the Aztec Motel, 1921 E. Platte Avenue. The charge is a misdemeanor that carries a possible penalty of 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Police said the bounty hunters showed up at the motel around 4:30 p.m., cameras rolling. They were sent there by Colorado Springs bail bondsman Bobby Brown to find fugitive Harry Whaley.

Police Lt. Mary Jo Strassburg-Aldal said a fight broke out, and, based on a statement from Barnes, Leland Chapman was cited and released. Police provided no further information on the incident.

There were conflicting accounts of what led up to the fight.

Motel manager Erin Welch said the bounty hunters jumped out of their vehicle and demanded to know where Whaley was.

"We said, 'Harry Whaley is not here and hasn't lived here for a year and a half, when we kicked him out,'" Welch said.

She said she tried to tell them where Whaley was staying, but the bounty hunters insisted he was there and that Barnes was Whaley's brother. Barnes told them to leave the property.

"They started yelling at everybody in the hotel, yelling, 'You crackheads, you tweakers,'" she said.

Barnes continued to demand they leave, when Leland Chapman threw him against a car, punched him and pushed him to the ground, Welch said.

Welch called police. Barnes initially didn't want to press charges, and the bounty hunters left, but he later changed his mind.

As of 10 p.m., Barnes was still being evaluated at Memorial Hospital, Welch said.

"We would have helped them find Harry Whaley. We don't like Harry Whaley," she said. "They were very abrasive and very aggressive."

The bounty hunters told a different story.

Beth Chapman, Leland Chapman's mother, said they didn't even get out of the parking lot before the motel manager began to scream at them to get off the property. When they tried to explain whom they were looking for, Barnes attacked her son, she said.

Beth Chapman said that once police arrived and the fight was broken up, everyone calmed down and apologized. The bounty hunters even signed autographs for residents of the motel, she said.

"The only reason they're filing charges is so they can sue," she said. "The woman there told the motel owner four times 'You have to file charges if you're going to sue.'"

When police tracked them down four hours later to cite her son, she said, officers wouldn't let him press charges against Barnes.

"I didn't care that they gave Leland a ticket, but they needed to give the motel owner a ticket at the same time," she said.

A police spokesperson was unavailable for comment late Friday.

Duane "Dog" Chapman gained national fame in 2003 for capturing convicted rapist and cosmetics heir Andrew Luster in Mexico.

His program, which airs on the A&E Network, follows him and his crew as they track down fugitives. It is in its second season.

Brown said he's worked closely with Chapman before and this was to be filmed for the program.

Whaley, he said, was "somebody who needed to be off the streets."

Court records show Whaley has an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court on charges of being a habitual traffic offender, and past convictions for drug offenses, theft, fraud, car theft and domestic violence.

Brown, a former El Paso County sheriff's deputy and candidate for sheriff, also questioned why the motel owner pressed charges.

"Everything is fine. It'll all be handled by attorneys," Brown said Friday night. "It was all blown out of proportion. Everything was fine until this lady decided to sue."

[size=75]Source

---

Zitat

---

Bounty hunter crew won't let cops see tape
Jun 18, 2005 by R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE[/size]

The fight outside the Aztec Motel June 10 between the motel owner and the son of television bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman was captured on camera, but the film crew refused to show the videotape to police.

The bounty hunters were looking for a fugitive who wasn't there, a quarrel broke out and motel owner Roy Barnes claimed he was assaulted by Chapman's son, Leland Chapman.

Chapman claimed Barnes attacked him first, but police could find no witnesses who saw the fight start. So they asked to see the tape.

"That's an independent witness, and that's the best witness, and if we could see that, then the situation could be settled," said Colorado Springs police Sgt. Tim Hogan.

"Dog the Bounty Hunter," which airs on the cable channel A&E, follows the Chapmans as they track fugitives.

According to a police report on the incident, members of the film crew first said they had to consult with their employer in New York.

Barnes changed his mind twice about wanting to file charges after he and the bounty hunters shook hands and both apologized, according to the report.

Several hours after the fight, he changed his mind again. He told police if he wanted to sue the bounty hunters, he had to press charges.

Police went back to the bounty hunters and again asked to see the tape. They were told it had been sent to New York.

"They also indicated that if they had the tape, they would not allow me to view it, as it would not be in their best interests," the report says.

With no witnesses, Leland Chapman was cited on suspicion of third- degree assault, based on the injuries to Barnes, Hogan said. He had several cuts on his face and head, swelling under his right eye and fractured ribs.

The charge is a misdemeanor that carries a possible penalty of 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The bounty hunters were brought here by Colorado Springs bail bondsman Bobby Brown to find fugitive Harry Whaley.

Calls to the show's publicist weren't returned Friday. Earlier in the week, publicist Maureen Kedes said the video will be part of a special program on Whaley's capture.

"It's good evidence to prove our point," Kedes said. "That's why they videotape everything they do."

Although the bounty hunters wouldn't show police their tape, they had no problem offering to provide a tape to Fern Davis' landlord.

According to the police report, the bounty hunters went to her East Platte Avenue home earlier June 10, looking for Whaley, a friend of her nephew's.

With cameras rolling, they searched her house and went through her cupboards. She said Thursday that they "held her hostage" for an hour, taking her phone away and threatening to arrest her.

Davis said she had seen Whaley only a few times and did not know he was a fugitive until different bounty hunters came to her house earlier in the week.

When they found a syringe, they accused her of using narcotics, she said. She said the syringe is used to administer antibiotics to kittens and that Whaley never stayed at her house.

"They scared me. I really thought, at one point, they would actually throw me on the ground and handcuff me and hurt me," Davis said.

Her landlord is trying to evict her. The eviction notice lists a tape by "Dog the Bounty Hunter" as evidence of drug activity, harboring a fugitive, running a cat farm, filthy environment and weapons.

Sunday, Duane Chapman caught up with Whaley, after police chased and lost him. Chapman found him buried in brush and leaves.

Whaley was wanted on warrants for habitual traffic offenses, wiretapping, harassment and domestic violence.

Chapman is a controversial figure. A felon who spent time in prison in the 1970s for his role in a fatal shooting, he worked as a bounty hunter in Denver and frequently ran afoul of Denver police.

He gained national fame in 2003 for capturing convicted rapist and cosmetics heir Andrew Luster in Mexico.

His show is in its second season.

[size=75]Source

---

Zitat

---

TV star helps catch wanted man
Jun 13, 2005 by THE GAZETTE[/size]

"Dog the Bounty Hunter" got his man.

A man who tracks fugitives for a cable TV program helped authorities Sunday morning apprehend a man wanted on suspicion of thirddegree assault, wiretapping and harassment, Colorado Springs police said.

The incident began when officers spotted the wanted man, Harry William Whaley, 40, on a motorcycle in the area of 1600 Carmel Drive. Whaley eluded officers after a short chase, but they found his motorcycle crashed into a fence on Verde Drive near Circle Drive and Fountain Boulevard, police said.

Officers and a police dog searched the area for about an hour. Then police were notified that Duane "Dog" Chapman and his TV crew had found the suspect hiding in some bushes.

Officers arrested Whaley and called an ambulance so he could be treated for a possible fractured leg, police said.

Chapman, whose show is in its second season on the A&E Network, was searching for Whaley at the request of a Colorado Springs bail bondsman.

Chapman's son, Leland Chapman, was accused of third-degree assault Friday night after getting into a fight at a motel where the Chapmans had gone looking for Whaley.

[size=75]Source

---

Zitat

---

Bounty hunter's charge dropped
Aug 11, 2005 by R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE[/size]

The 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office has dropped an assault charge against a television bounty hunter after a tape proved he did not start a fight outside a Colorado Springs motel in June.

Leland Chapman, the son of television bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, was cited on suspicion of third-degree assault June 10 after a scuffle with Roy Barnes, owner of the Aztec Motel on East Platte Avenue.

The program, "Dog the Bounty Hunter," which airs on cable channel A&E, chronicles the family's hunt for fugitives.

The bounty hunters had been asked by local bail bondsman Bobby Brown to help capture a fugitive believed to be living at the Aztec Motel.

A fight broke out as they arrived at the motel, with Barnes and the Chapmans saying the other started the brawl.

According to a Colorado Springs police report, the cameras were rolling, but the crew refused to show police a tape of the fight, citing laws that shield them from having to turn over tapes to authorities.

Barnes, who had several cuts on his face and head, swelling under his right eye and fractured ribs, twice changed his mind about filing charges. He eventually told police he wanted to press charges to file a civil suit, and Leland Chapman was cited based on his account.

Last week, an attorney from the film company, New Yorkbased Hybrid Films, brought a copy of the tape to Colorado Springs to show prosecutors.

Elizabeth Kirkman, chief deputy district attorney, said the tape clearly showed Barnes was the "initial aggressor" and Leland Chapman acted in appropriate self-defense.

Prosecutors filed a motion Tuesday to drop the charge, which was approved by a judge Wednesday.

"I'm so pleased," Duane Chapman said Wednesday. "The wheels of justice grind slowly, but if you hang in there and you're innocent, it'll be proven."

Beth Smith, his partner who describes herself as the stepmother of Leland Chapman, said the night of the fight, they did not have the authority to tell the film crew to show police the tape.

Plus, she preferred to have a prosecutor view the tape and decide on charges, rather than a police officer.

Barnes said Wednesday he dis- agrees with the decision to drop the charges. He contends the Chapmans started the fight and harassed the residents of his motel.

"Those people came onto my property like they just got pumped for a football game and they started calling my tenants names," Barnes said.

He said he's still considering a civil suit.

Harry Whaley, the fugitive they were looking for at the Aztec Motel, was spotted and chased by police two days later. Duane Chapman caught him hiding in bushes after police lost him.

Chapman said he plans to return to Colorado Springs this fall to film another episode.

ON TV

Duane "Dog" Chapman's search for and capture of fugitive Harry Whaley in Colorado Springs in June will be the subject of an episode of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Aug. 23.

The program will air on cable channel A&E at 8 p.m., Chapman said.

[size=75]Source

---

Zitat

---

Motel owner sues TV bounty hunters
Sep 15, 2006 by R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE[/size]

A Colorado Springs motel owner is suing the stars of the television show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," claiming they assaulted him during filming here, and that the episode has hurt his reputation and business.

Roy Barnes, owner of the Aztec Motel on East Platte Avenue, wants an unspecified amount in damages and for cable network A&E to stop running the episode. He claims in the suit that he receives hate mail and phone calls every time it airs, and it has made him unable to sell the motel.

The show, the most popular on cable network A&E, follows the exploits of Duane "Dog" Chapman, a longtime Colorado bounty hunter now based in Hawaii, and his family.

The bounty hunters could not be reached for comment. Duane and his son Leland Chapman were arrested Thursday in Hawaii and were awaiting extradition to Mexico to face charges related to the capture of a fugitive there in 2003.

They were in Colorado Springs in June 2005, looking for a bail jumper wanted on traffic and other warrants. After being told by an acquaintance he was at the Aztec, they went there, could not find him and got in a confrontation with Barnes, who ordered them to leave the property.

A fight broke out, police were called and Barnes, who had several cuts on his face and head, swelling under his right eye and frac- tured ribs, twice changed his mind about filing charges, according to police reports.

The 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office later dropped the charge against Leland Chapman after being shown a tape of the incident, though the film crew initially refused to show one to police.

Barnes' lawsuit claims the bounty hunters intentionally caused a confrontation, and that it is a regular procedure on the show for Duane Chapman's wife, Beth, to provoke people to violence.

"They came out here to make a TV show and if they could get some innocent person to beat up for national TV, that was just frosting on the cake," his attorney, Lloyd Kordick, said Thursday. "The guy wasn't there. They should have left when they were directed to by the owner of the property."

Kordick said neither the bounty hunters nor the camera crew got Barnes' consent to use his image in the program, and the episode has plagued him since.

"He just can't get rid of it. Every time he turns around, somebody sees it again, and he's embarrassed again. He relives it," he said.

Bobby Brown, a local bail bondsman who invited the bounty hunters here, also is named in the lawsuit. He said they had a legitimate reason to think fugitive Harry Whaley was at the Aztec.

"We were right on his trail the entire time. Nobody said, 'Let's go agitate the guy at the Aztec,'" Brown said.

Neither Barnes nor a spokesman for A&E returned messages for comment.

It's not the first legal difficulty for Duane Chapman. His arrest on Mexican charges of illegal detention and conspiracy Thursday stemmed from his capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster on June 18, 2003, in Puerto Vallarta. Chapman, his son and another associate jumped bail, and the Mexican government has sought them since.

He has served time in prison for being an accessory to murder, was arrested numerous times in Colorado while working as a bondsman here, and last month was sued by two San Francisco men featured on an episode.

In that episode, the bounty hunters apprehended a man, but they released him after realizing they had the wrong person.

Brown, who brought the bounty hunters back to Colorado Springs this summer to film several more episodes, said people condemn Chapman for his past.

"He bends over backwards to be polite to everybody," Brown said. "He does everything by the book, and he's one of the easiest guys in the world to get along with."

He noted that Barnes shook hands with the bounty hunters after the scuffle, and that he only changed his mind when someone told him he had to file charges in order to later pursue a civil suit, an account confirmed by police reports.

"It's obvious the only reason there is a lawsuit is there is money there," Brown said.

[size=75]Source

---