Atlanta, GA — A vacation in Jamaica for an Athens pastor and his wife ends in a nightmare in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
26-year-old Steven Carter, a youth pastor at The Church at Southside in Athens, was arrested by security officials at the Jamaica Airport when they found a .22-caliber bullet stuck in the seams of the bag.
"They don't know how it got there,” said Church Pastor Jeff Williams. “Steven doesn't own a gun, but evidently it has been there a while."
Carter might be able to see a judge Thursday morning after spending the night in an open jail cell in Montego Bay with several hundred other men.
News/Talk WSB’s Richard Sangster reported Thursday morning that Carter’s father was headed to Jamaica to try and get his son out of jail.
Carter’s lawyer says the charge could go one of two ways. If he is charged with illegal ammunition, the pastor’s penalty will be a small fine. But if he is hit with a terrorism charge, Carter could get seven years in jail.
“They said it was the equivalent of bring a bomb on a plane,” Williams told Channel 2 Action News.
Williams said he'd contacted members of Congress, including Georgia Rep. Paul Broun, their representative in Athens. Broun's office had no immediate comment when the AJC called Wednesday. Williams also said Steven’s wife Erin had spoken with Sen. Johnny Isakson.
"We have been contacted by the family and are working to try to help our constituent," Isakson spokeswoman Lauren Culbertson said.
Williams said Carter has owned the bag most of his life but had not used it in about five years. He said he was told that the last time Carter fired a gun was when he was about 10 and was squirrel hunting.
“He’s a great kid and I’m terribly afraid for his safety,” said Williams. “He’s 26 years old, newly married, baby at home and they just want to get home.”
No comments:
Post a Comment