Duane 'Dog' Chapman Mourns Death of Police Officer Who Changed His Life After 1977 Arrest

Duane "Dog" Chapman is mourning the death of Charles Love, the police officer who arrested him and changed his life almost 50 years ago, and passed away at the age of 77 on Nov. 6. The Dog the Bounty Hunter star served time in a Texas prison in 1977 after being convicted of first-degree murder for his role in a drug deal that ended with his friend shooting and killing a man, which ended up setting him on the path toward becoming who he is now.

"This is the cop in 1977 that arrested me. He helped change my life," Chapman shared alongside Love's obituary on social media Thursday. "I've been in contact with him over all these years and we became close friends in law-enforcement. I will miss Sheriff Deputy Charley Love see you again in heaven Charlie love you brother."

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Love was an officer and lieutenant for the Pampa, Texas Police Department for "many years," according to his obituary, working also in Littlefield, Texas as a police officer and finishing his career as a Roberts County Sheriffs Deputy before retiring in 2018. "He was a loving and devoted father, grandfather, and great grandfather," Love's family wrote. "He loved fishing, and hanging out with his family and friends. He had countless stories and jokes. He was the kind of man that would give you the shirt of his back. He had a very kind soul. He always saw the best in people, and did what he could to help anyone that needed it."

Chapman has spoken a lot about how his time in prison put him on a new path, telling the story in July on the Always Evolving With Mike Bayer podcast of how his tackling an inmate named Bigfoot who was almost shot while trying to escape set off a chain of events that would lead to him getting respect from his fellow inmates and recognizing his life's purpose. "I realized, man, if I wanna be something, I gotta be something better than anything else in the world, because I've made a terrible mistake," he told Bayer of getting out of prison with a new goal in mind. "I studied it and said, 'I can go after these guys and catch 'em, and then talk to 'em, and tell 'em, 'Listen, you idiots, stop this!'"