LOCAL

'Dog' Chapman denied UK visa because of conviction

Staff Writer
Amarillo Globe-News
Duane "Dog" Chapman adjusts his sunglasses as he speaks during a press conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wednesday, May 14, 2008. Executives with A&E, the cable network that broadcast "Dog the Bounty Hunter," say viewers can catch reruns of the show starting June 25. Filming has begun on the fifth season, which is scheduled to begin airing a few weeks later.

Duane "Dog" Chapman has his bags packed for London, but a murder conviction from the late 1970s is keeping him out of the United Kingdom.

The reality television star from the show "Dog the Bounty Hunter" says has was scheduled to appear on "Celebrity Big Brother" there but was denied a visa.

The denial is based on his 1977 murder conviction in Texas. He said Monday from his home in Honolulu he was found guilty of murder even though his role in the crime was being outside when a friend got into an argument with a marijuana dealer. He was paroled after 18 months of his five-year sentence.

While Chapman acknowledges he shouldn't have been there, he's frustrated that it's keeping him from visiting his fans in the UK.