TO CLOSE

The law enforcement officers continue their search for the fugitive Shawn Christy, while residents keep their eyes open and their doors locked.
Emily Mills, reporter

Federal fugitive Shawn Christy may be able to break the law, but can he escape the dog?

While authorities pursue a four-month-old man hunt in Christy, accused of threatening President Donald Trump and Dakota Meyer, winner of the Kentucky Medal of Honor, Duane Chapman, known under the name of Dog the Bounty Hunter, is attached to the research.

"I have a very good lead," Chapman said at the Mansfield News Journal, which is part of the USA TODAY network. "I sent him messages … My goal is not to kill him but to bring him back."

The Ohio law enforcement forces believe that Christy blew up a GMC 2002 white utility truck last week in Mansfield, Ohio, on Interstate 71.

The last: A man accused of threatening Trump and Dakota Meyer could be in Ohio

Related: US Marshal in search of fugitive Shawn Christy: "We'll meet him again"

Chapman told the Mansfield News Journal that he had been retained by a friend of the Christy family who can not be identified publicly. He plans to arrive in Mansfield on Sept. 27, when it is scheduled to occur in the city on Sept. 28.

Christy has been on the run since June, when a federal warrant was issued for her arrest in connection with a Facebook posting threatening the Northampton County, Pennsylvania, prosecutor as well as President Trump. Christy reportedly issued threats between June 3 and June 12, saying he would shoot Trump in the head and use "lethal force" on any law enforcement officer who tried to detain him.

Authorities say Christy also threatened Meyer, a native of Columbia, Kentucky, and married Bristol Palin, daughter of 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

In Kentucky, Christy is accused of stealing a Jeep Grand Cherokee from Meyer's brother, Timothy Gilliam, according to Kentucky state police. Gilliam reported that when he returned home in Adair County on August 9, he found that the front door had been kicked and that his Jeep had disappeared. Christy was later spotted driving the Jeep in West Virginia.

The FBI is offering a $ 10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Christy, while the US Marshal Service offers up to $ 20,000. All information will be considered confidential.

Christy is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 150 to 160 pounds. He has green eyes, short dark brown or blond hair and a beard. He has a tattoo of a cross on his right upper arm.

Christy also speaks with visible fistula and claims to be a survivor.

Anyone with information or who sees Christy is asked to call 911 or the Ohio Highway Patrol at 419-756-2222. Tipping can also be reported to US Stewards at 1-866-4-WANTED or WANTED keyword and tip at TIP411 (847411).

"Miracles happen every day in my life," said Chapman. "It's a thing of God."

The Mansfield News Journal contributed to the report. Thomas Novelly: [email protected], 502-582-4465. Support a strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tomn.

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