Ill, 88-year-old WWII vet held in Mexican jail on possibly trumped-up charges; anyone seen the feds?

An 88-year-old World War 2 veteran visited Mexico a couple weeks ago with his grandson and was taking photographs as souvenirs. In one case, he took a photo of two young girls - fully clothed and only neck up - and paid their mother $25 as she asked. Mexican police accused him of engaging in another sort of activity, but there were no questionable photos found on his camera. Now, he and the grandson are stuck in a Mexican prision and he's apparently suffering from pneumonia (link). And, the prosecuting attorney apparently wanted $2000 to make the whole thing go away.

While the facts of the case aren't all clear, this strongly sounds like a shakedown. And, it doesn't look like our government is exactly leaving no stone unturned in a relentless quest for justice:

Gov. Chris Gregoire is aware of the situation and is following the issue, said spokeswoman Karina Shagren. Other lawmakers, including Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Rick Larsen, also are monitoring the case.

Maybe Johnny Sutton would like to get involved, this time on the U.S.'s side. Lacking that, involvement by the State Department is warranted, and the above named elected officials should be able to make that happen.

Comments

I will say nothing but one thing anyone going to mexico must be stupid. I hope this poor old guy gets out alive!