Final US Missionary, Laura Silsby, Is Freed in Haiti After Being Convicted
After being held for months, an American Baptist missionary accused of attempting to take dozens of Haitian children out of the country illegally after the devastating earthquake in January has been freed from jail.
Accused ringleader Laura Silsby, 40, is now at the airport in Port-au-Prince and plans to take a flight home to the United States within a few hours, her lawyer, Chiller Roy, tells the This Just In blog of CNN.
He declined to comment on reports that she had been convicted and was released after serving her sentence.
Silsby herself told the Associated Press “I’m praising God,” as she waited for her flight today, declining to answer further questions.
The news agency said she was convicted of arranging illegal travel after originally being charged with kidnapping and criminal association, citing information from prosecutor Jean-Serge Joseph. He said she was sentenced to time served: 3 months and 8 days.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Judge Rules for Release of Haiti Missionaries”
ABAJournal.com: “Haitian Judge Frees 8 of 10 Americans in Child-Kidnapping Case”
