Last week, Duane “Dog the bounty hunter” Chapman shared in a press conference that his store had been robbed and with it personal items that belonged to his deceased wife.
The “Dog’s Most Wanted” star lost his wife and business partner Beth Chapman earlier last month to cancer, which he has openly grieved about over the past month.
In a press conference, he expressed how angry he was that someone stole his wife’s possessions, but said that he would forgive the person if the materials were returned in 48 hours.
“Well, it’s important for me to be here because it was our building, it was actually my wife’s,” he said, according to Fox 31 Denver. “My message to the guy is, if you turn yourself in within the next 48 hours, I will not press charges. I will try to get you probation, a job … ’cause me and you got a special connection now.”
Chapman added: “but if you don’t, there will be no mercy. I am not OJ Simpson, so I’m not going to do this myself. … I’ve been across the nation, captured fugitives, and Colorado, especially this county, is one of the greatest, and some of the best cops in the country. They work overtime without getting paid, and they do a lot of stuff without getting paid.”
Chapman shared that the robbery “hits home pretty bad” because the items missing belonged to his wife, making it extremely personal.
“One thing I’m confident in is I believe a lot in the Bible and the Bible says, ‘When you steal from the dead that’s an unforgettable sin,” he said. “So not only I and the police officers here are looking but so is God.”
He thanked the police in the press conference, adding that God keeps telling him to trust them to do their jobs.
“I’ve trusted these cops for 35 years, and I keep hearing God tell me, ‘Put your faith in the cops and don’t do nothing yourself.’ So thank you all very much, love you all very much,” he added.
Chapman also took to Twitter, offering a reward for information on the burglar.
“The Bible says it is an unforgivable sin to steal from the dead,” he wrote. “LARGE CASH REWARD FOR ANY INFORMATION FIR WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!!!”
The Chapman family also released an official statement about the break-in on Friday, saying:
“The official Dog and Beth merchandise store was robbed on Thursday. Not only did the thieves take thousands of dollars of clothing, these criminals took priceless personal belongings of our beloved Beth, including tributes to her kindly left by our amazing fans. We are working with our friends in law enforcement to find these perpetrators, and are offering a cash reward to anyone who provides information about their identity. To who ever did this, you better watch out. Dog is coming for you.”
The 48 hours of grace that Chapman gave the burglar were up Sunday, but no one came forward.
According to The Blast, the job was reported to be considered an inside job, and police have multiple leads they are going after.
Chapmans faith
Over the past year, Chapman has become increasingly vocal about his faith and his relationship with God, in lieu of his wife’s cancer battle.
In September 2017, Beth Chapman was diagnosed with throat cancer. She soon after had a 13-hour tumor removal surgery, which temporarily took away the cancer before it came back in November 2018.
Although her battle was intense, it did not shake her faith.
During a Mother’s Day service at the Source Church in Bradenton, Florida this past Spring, Beth shared her testimony amidst the cancer battle.
“I don’t go to God and go, ‘Why did I get cancer?’” Beth Chapman said. “He’ll roll his eyes at me again, because I know why — because this is the ultimate test of faith. It is the evidence of things hoped for and it is the substance of things not known.”
“I am not defeated by my weakness and endure in this treatment,” the 51-year-old added. “When I am surrounded with troubles on every side, and when I face persecution, because of my love for Christ, I am made yet stronger now.”
After Beth passed in June, Chapman said in a press conference, “I love her so much. As Lazarus laid, Jesus said, ‘He’s not dead. He’s sleeping.’ My final words were, ‘Beth isn’t dead. She’s sleeping.”