Mom Of Marine Being Held In Mexico Worries About His Well Being
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The mother of a Marine reservist who is behind bars in Mexico is working overtime to get her son released.
Officials said the reservist was arrested last month after he reportedly got lost and accidentally drove his pickup across the US-Mexican border from San Diego.
KCAL9's Juan Fernandez said Andrew Tahmooressi's arrest has mobilized lawmakers from Florida to California to step up on his behalf.
Fernandez reported the 25-year-old man's mother has been working non stop to get him released from the Mexican jail. She's speaking out, giving out petitions.
Jill Tahmooressi says her son served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and now suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD.
He moved to San Diego for treatment, said his mother.
"This is a Marine who bravely served his country," she said, "he's always been courageous. Full of hope and optimism. But he's in prison without any hope provided to him that he's going to secure a release."
She says he made a wrong turn on the way to visit a friend. He crossed into Mexico with all his possessions, including some legally purchased guns on April 1.
"He called me when he reached the border," she says, "He said, 'Mom, I want you to know where I'm at.' He old me he made a wrong turn."
After being taken to the LA Mesa Prison, Andrew was allowed one more phone call.
"He called me one night, said in a panicked voice, 'Mom I'm not going to make it through the night. There are hit men in here. They told me they're going to kill me. They're going to rape and torture and them murder me. They're going to send me out in a body bag."
She said her son escaped the most dangerous part of the prison by scaling a wall, but now he has been chained to his cot for nearly a month.
His mom told Fernandez that she saw her son on a recent visit and it was "heartbreaking."
She said, "I have never seen him in this condition of defeat."
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