Whoever burglarized
Dog the Bounty Hunter’s Colorado store should be very, very worried.
The reality TV star (real name: Duane Chapman) is furious over the theft and vandalism — especially because his late wife
Beth Chapman’s personal belongings were stolen — as apparent in a statement from the Chapman family given to Yahoo on Friday.
"The official Dog and Beth merchandise store was robbed on Thursday,” the statement, sent by a family spokesperson, said. “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.”
It continued: “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 whoever did this, you better watch out. Dog is coming for you."
Chapman added on Twitter that the cash reward would be a “LARGE” one.
His tweet also noted that “the Bible says it is an unforgivable sin to steal from the dead.” Beth, Chapman’s wife, business partner and co-star died June 26 after a long cancer battle. She was 51.
The Denver Post reports that the store, called Free as a Bird Bail Bonds, is in Edgewater, which is just west of the state’s capital. A news release from Edgewater Police says they were contacted at 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning about the break in.
According to The Blast, which had a picture of the store’s shattered front door, clothing and memorabilia related to their shows (Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dog and Beth: On the Hunt and the upcoming — and Beth’s last — Dog's Most Wanted) was taken. But that paled in comparison to the fact that “some of Beth's personal bounty hunting gear was ransacked.” The personal items had been “arranged in the store as a makeshift memorial” to Beth.
Needless to say, the timing — just over a month after she died — makes for an especially cutting wound.
Amid all this, Chapman’s new show Dog's Most Wanted will premiere on WGN America on Sept. 4. Beth participated in the series — though her cancer suddenly returned last fall.