Patricia Jones said she showed up to a Clovis High School parking lot to meet her idol — reality television star Duane Chapman, better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter.

CNJ staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman signs items during a meet-and-greet Saturday evening at the Leon Williams Stadium parking lot at Clovis High School. Chapman was in town to assist local bail bondsman Hank Bayless and document the experience for a television series he is creating.

"I watch him all the time," said Jones, 31, whose favorite TV show is the A&E series starring Chapman. "I've probably seen all of the show's episodes. He's good at what he does."

Chapman stopped to visit fans Saturday at the Clovis High School parking lot just off of Purdue Street.

Hundreds of citizens — men, women, children and seniors — milled around in the parking lot before 4 p.m. anxiously waiting for Chapman's arrival.

Children bounced basketballs and chased each other and adults discussed what time Chapman would show. When Chapman's tour bus pulled up at 5 p.m. the crowd's roar could be heard over the buzz of motorcycles.

Brenda Burkart, 39, a Clovis repossession agent, showed up because she simply likes Chapman and what he does on his show. Burkart said she has watched Chapman's show since its August 2004 debut and records most episodes.

"I think they're (Chapman's team) really organized and they like to be safe," Burkart said. "They don't judge people (fugitives). You can tell they care about people because they treat them with respect after they've caught them. And they try to help people who have problems."

Burkart said she tries to model some of her own work after Chapman's work ethic, particularly the way Chapman attempts to keep captured fugitives calm.

Nathan Wells, 21, an employee of a local pizza restaurant, said he loves Chapman's show and has caught every episode.

"When I heard he was in town I sort of freaked out," Wells said. "I thought, 'I've got to get his autograph, somehow some way.'"

Wells said he admires how Chapman changed his life for the better after spending time in prison for murder. He said he sometimes considers the possibility of getting into Chapman's career field.

Edith Trujillo, 43, a manager at a local Mexican restaurant, believes Chapman is a great role model for teenagers and said his visit is just what Clovis needed.

"It's great that he took the time to come to this small town and give these kids hope," Trujillo said. "A lot of these kids need to see a positive hero. Our kids are going through a lot right now. Their parents are always in jail or someone died."

Chapman is in town assisting Clovis bailbondsman Hank Bayless in attempting to capture one last fugitive before Bayless retires after 30 years of bounty hunting.

Chapman's work with Bayless is part of a TV series Chapman and his wife Beth are working on that will showcase public interest stories on professionals in the bounty hunting industry, according to Bayless.

The series is scheduled to air on CMT beginning in April, but no episode order has been determined.