Leland B. Chapman isn’t the world’s biggest dude. At 150 pounds, you’d think that he’d have little luck restraining anyone accused of jumping bail. But spend a little bit of time watching him in action on CMT’s Dog and Beth: On the Hunt and you’ll find that this Hawaii resident can hold his own against just about anyone.
A fan of the combative arts, Chapman grew up spending most of his time in boxing gyms, which kept his arms and shoulders lean. But a few years back, he took to more traditional weight training with Hawaii-based trainer Mike Sapp (www.mikesappfitness.com) in order to gain strength and a little bit of size – both critical job skills for a bondsman.
This is Season 2 of Dog and Beth on CMT. What is going to make this season different?
This season there’s a lot more action, we’re going after tougher guys and going to areas we’ve never worked in. The stakes have gone up because we’re working with other bondsmen, helping them get better. We’re going to really dangerous places like Detroit, Stockton (Calif.) and New Orleans, trying to make an impact on those areas.
Explain for the readers what bounty hunting is all about?
We are officers of the court and wardens of the street. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. They’re given the right to post bail. But by definition, to post bail is a continuation of the original imprisonment. The court is still keeping you in custody. We’re trying to make sure these people get to court and make sure they man up to what they’re accused of. If you miss the court date, that’s when we become bounty hunters. It’s our responsibility.
Tell us about your experience with combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts.
I box and kickbox and do MMA. I started doing that when I was 18 but I don’t do it competitively anymore. My last fight was a couple of years ago. Now I help with the kids and I still train and keep in shape.
What do you typically do to keep fit?
I used to go everyday but now it’s two times per week to the boxing gym. When we’re on the road, we’ll find a place and every morning, me, my dad and my son will go down there and workout. This is a physical job. It’s hands on. You’ve got to train for everything. If someone runs, you’ve got to chase them. We do combat training to stay on top of things. If you’re going to be in this kind of business, you need to train this way. If not, you’ll get outran or get your ass kicked.
Is there a particular time when your conditioning came into play on the job?
In Honolulu, we were looking for this guy they called the Pink Panther. My daughter had just been born and I hadn’t worked in 5-6 months. They were chasing this guy who outran them twice in a row. So they called me and I showed up at the house. I peeked over this 6-foot high fence and saw this guy who matched the description. He took off like a freakin’ deer. I caught up to this guy and it took everything I had. I was in somebody’s backyard with him, waiting for the cavalry and nobody showed up. I was scrapping with this guy for my life somewhere around 20 minutes and he was high on ice! I hadn’t worked out in a while but if I hadn’t been in as good a shape as I was, this guy could have gotten away.
You have three kids. Do you think twice before going out and knocking on some of these doors?
When you really stop to think about it, you realize how scary it was. But this is my job and all I’ve done. So you never think about it. Something else just takes over. When I have to go up and clear an attic, the first thing that goes up there is my head! But you can’t think about these things.
DELTS OF FORCE
Trainer Mike Sapp gives a peek at Leland B. Chapman’s shoulder training program
“We wanted to him bigger and stronger, so we just stuck to the basics,” Sapp says. “Just basic dumbbell moves for mass and strength but we would still keep the pace up. He didn’t get a lot of rest. I trained with Arnold back in 1980 and really like the old school way of training so we stuck to the basics.”
For more of DOG AND BETH: ON THE HUNT, visit the official show page at CMT.com, join the conversation on Facebook or follow the latest updates via @CMT on Twitter using hashtag #CMTDogAndBeth. Additional information about Dog and Beth Chapman can be found on their website, www.dogthebountyhunter.com, or via Twitter at @DogBountyHunter (Dog Chapman) and @MrsdogC (Beth Chapman). More information on Leland Chapman can be found on his website, www.lelandbchapman.com, or via Twitter at @LelandBChapman (Leland Chapman).
