A man who grew up in Colorado is behind bars in Mexico, accused of kidnapping after he helped capture a cosmetics heir convicted of rape.

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Duane Chapman, Wife Explains How Bounty Hunting Works

Duane Lee Chapman, who calls himself "Dog," captured fugitive Andrew Luster early Wednesday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. However, since bounty hunting is considered illegal kidnapping under Mexican law, Chapman, two other bounty hunters and two journalists are in custody on charges of being in Mexico illegally.

Chapman was born and raised in Denver. He and his wife own a bail bond business in Honolulu and another in Colorado, and regularly return to Denver.

He said he's "the greatest bounty hunter in the world" and being the "modern-day Billy the Kid," claims to have captured more than 6,000 fugitives.

Chapman's wife told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday that her husband knows that a few days in jail is worth the $150,000 reward for capturing Luster. Beth Smith said that in the end, she and her husband are proud of what they accomplished.

"We did nothing wrong. We apprehended this dangerous predator. We've been searching for him. We've ate slept and drank (Luster) for six months. I've hardly seen my husband," Smith said.

Chapman left Hawaii for the mainland in February to search for Luster, the heir to the MaxFactor fortune.

"Snagging this guy would be awesome," he told The Honolulu Advertiser before leaving. He said he had Luster's pager number and had a rough idea of his whereabouts.

At the height of their search for Luster, Good Morning America interviewed Chapman and his wife about how they go about searching for a fugitive. Chapman explained that they compile information from police, Luster's victims and even cosmetic surgeons. They spend thousands of dollars tracking their quarry.

In the end, Smith said Chapman got an important tip from a vacationer in Mexico who identified Luster. Chapman then apparently used his time-tested method for bringing down a wanted man.

"The best thing I've used is a fire-extinguisher size can of pepper spray, which when you use it, has a kind of little jerk to it," Chapman said. "After the (haze clears), my fugitive is on the ground. Fifteen minutes later, after I wash him with water, he's alive and doing well."

Witnesses said that the bounty hunters tracked Luster to an open-air taco stand about two blocks from the beach.

"I didn't know if it was a kidnapping or a movie," said Alberto Franco, 26, who was working at the gas station across the street.

He said the bounty hunters threatened Luster with tear gas, wrestled what appeared to be handcuffs on him and drove away in two cars. Franco said taxi drivers notified local police.

Police intercepted the cars about 2 1/2 miles northwest of town and arrested everyone.

Chapman has told reporters that he knows what it's like to be wanted by the law. As a juvenile, he had 18 arrests for armed robbery, and served less than two years of a five-year prison term for murder in Texas.

He said he got into the business of tracking down fugitives shortly after he was released from prison in February 1979. He said a judge called him to say he owed thousands of dollars in back child support. Chapman, who has 12 children, said that when he responded that he didn't have the money because he had been in prison, the judge offered to pay $200 of his child support if he would find a fugitive.

He needed only a week to find the guy and soon afterward, he was arresting up to four fugitives a day, he said on his Web site.

Chapman is expected to be released on bail within two days.

Additional Resource:

Duane Dog Chapman's Web site