Duane “Dog” Chapman had an extra pair of hands helping him in his latest bounty hunting quest. The Dog the Bounty Hunter star’s fiancee Francie Frane joining him on his successful hunt for wanted Virginia fugitive Felux Chujoy. Chapman tracked Chujoy to Augusta County, Virginia less than 72 hours after starting his hunt. Chujoy was inducted by a grand jury in May for making and distributing methamphetamine.
Chapman joined the hunt for Chujoy on Sunday and announced he was found on Wednesday. In an interview Chapman shared on his Instagram page Monday, the reality TV star outlined all the problems he faced at the start of his hunt. Chujoy was on the run for a month because local officials did not put his warrant in the National Crime Information Center until 13 days after he was indicted. Chapman said he had to rely on local residents to help him find the alleged criminal and offered a reward for information, reports Our Community Now.
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Another challenge was finding a criminal during the coronavirus pandemic when so many people are wearing masks. “The way I recognize people is facial features, which include eyes, face and all that,” Chapman explained. “Most of my fugitives right now are walking around with their face covered. Shades on, face covered, and a hat. You’ll never know it.”
The hunt itself was over fairly quickly. Chapman stopped at everywhere he knew Chujoy had been in the last three days and visited 12 to 14 houses. He eventually found himself at Chujoy’s last known address, where Chujoy happened to still be. Chujoy agreed to turn himself in and is now being held without bond at the Middle River Regional Jail.
Chapman did not get to put the handcuffs on Chujoy, but he thanked his fans and Virginia residents for helping out. “Thank you to the people of the great state of Virginia. Your tips and leads helped towards the surrender of Felix Chujoy,” he wrote on Instagram. “When Wyatt Earp comes to town, the safest place for the criminal is to hide inside the jail.”
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After the successful mission, Chapman planned a meet and greet event in Virginia, limited to just residents of the Shenandoah Valley due to coronavirus limits on large gatherings in the state. Chapman said he planned to return to the state to film another new show, Dog Unleashed, and to attend the Dairy Queen Children’s Miracle Day Fundraiser in Stuarts Draft in 2021. The hunt for Chujoy could be part of Dog Unleashed as Dog’s Most Wanted producer Nick Walker revealed on Instagram that cameras were with Chapman during his trip to Virginia. Chapman shared the photo himself on his Instagram Story.
The hunt for Chujoy gave Frane a taste of hunting with Chapman. The couple announced their engagement in May, just 10 months after his wife Beth Chapman’s death. Chapman and Beth starred in WGN’s Dog’s Most Wanted, which aired last fall and chronicled Beth’s battle with cancer. It’s not clear how involved Frane will be with the bounty hunting business, but Chapman shared photos of her joining Chapman and his team during their meetings while hunting.
