GUADALAJARA, Mexico — A federal court has cleared the way for TV bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman to be extradited to face charges in Mexico, court officials said today.

Norma Jara, a spokeswoman for the Second District court in Guadalajara, said the court rejected Chapman's injunction request, ruling there was no reason not to try him for deprivation of liberty.

Chapman's lawyers argued he would not be guaranteed a fair trial in Mexico, Jara said.

"This is not a matter that is a great surprise. We intend to file an appeal," Chapman's lawyer, Brook Hart, said last night.

Hart said he had not received official word of the court ruling.

The charges against the 53-year-old star of the A&E reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter" stem from his June 2003 capture of convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, in Puerto Vallarta, 210 miles west of Guadalajara.

Luster had fled from California six months earlier. His disappearance set off an international manhunt by police, FBI and bounty hunters trying to recoup some of the bond money.

Luster's capture shot Chapman, a Honolulu-based bounty hunter, to fame and led to the TV series. Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term in California.

OUT ON BAIL

Chapman, his son Leland Chapman and associate Tim Chapman (no relation) were arrested by Mexican authorities the morning after they had caught Luster.

The three posted bail, then later left Mexico. Last September, they were arrested in Honolulu and held overnight at the Federal Detention Center before they were released on bail. "Dog" Chapman was released on $300,000 bond and the other two on $100,000 bond each.

They face up to four years in a Mexican jail if convicted.

"We only just heard about the Mexican court's decision to continue with the extradition proceedings, and are still in shock," Mona Wood, a Chapman spokeswoman, said in a statement.

"We are obviously deeply disappointed and fearful of what will happen, and are currently absorbing the news and discussing our options at this time.

"Duane, (his wife) Beth, Tim and Leland are currently talking with their families and their attorneys. ... However, they still need some time to absorb this shocking and devastating news."

The arrests sparked a nationwide protest by supporters trying to halt the extradition of the popular TV celebrity and the two other men.

The Chapmans' attorneys also said they were providing the Mexican court with evidence that the three had not been trying to leave Mexico with Luster, but were headed to a Mexican police station to turn him in when they got arrested.

APOLOGY OFFERED

Hart has said Chapman thought he could legally arrest Luster there because Luster had violated Mexican law by entering the country under a false name. In addition, Chapman and the two others were with a man they believed was an on-duty Mexican police officer when they caught Luster, and they later left the country on the "faulty" advice of a Mexican lawyer who told them they could leave, Hart said.

Chapman offered to apologize for leaving Mexico to avoid being sent back there, Hart has said.

In addition to the apology, a resolution might also include Chapman paying a fine, forfeiting the bail he posted in Mexico and making a charitable contribution, Hart said.

"What we hope to do is approach Mexican authorities with an apology for having left the country and (make) an effort to resolve any concerns that can be done short of formal extradition and prosecution," Hart said.

But Hart said Chapman will not apologize for apprehending Luster.

Hart also said last year that they will ask the federal government to reconsider honoring the Mexican government's request for the return of the three men because "we have strong arguments that extradition is probably wrong here."

He said that what the Chapmans did in catching Luster would be legal if it had been done in the United States.