After months of being jailed in Mexico, a former Marine was released on Friday only to end up hospitalized in Louisiana on his way home to Florida.
Mexican authorities detained former Marine Jon Hammar, 27, of Palmetto Bay, Fla. in August before finally releasing him last week. Hammar, who was traveling home with his father after he was released, had to be taken to an emergency room in Louisiana, the Miami Herald reported.
His mother, Olivia Hammar, told Miami Herald news partner CBS4, "He's got some sort of a stomach bug and bad chest cold." According to WSVN7, Hammar was released from the hospital late Sunday.
Hammar was arrested on August 13 after he and a fellow former Marine tried to enter Mexico while carrying his grandfather's antique shotgun. According to the Miami Herald, Hammar and his friend were headed to Costa Rica on a surfing trip. The former Marine had been told to declare the sixty-year-old .410-bore Sears & Roebuck shotgun by U.S. authorities but was arrested by Mexican authorities anyways, the Miami Herald reported.
The 27-year-old was charged with possession of a weapon restricted to Mexican armed forces and sent to the Matamoros prison, which houses inmates affiliated with local drug cartels. According to the Miami Herald, those inmates tried to extort money from Hammar's parents, which forced U.S. officials to intervene. Hammar was then put into isolated confinement, where he was chained to his bed.
His parents spent months attempting to manage his release. The Associate Press reported that Mexican authorities held Hammar "until they determined there was no intent to commit a crime." Despite the brief trip to the hospital, Hammar's mother said they he is expected to be home for Christmas.
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