| Sgt. Brian Johnston smiles moments after he is released from a Mexican prison late Friday night. |
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http://www.msnbc.com/local/KNSD/276908.asp
Marine freed from Mexican prison
TIJUANA, Nov. 13, 1999 -- A Camp Pendleton Marine is a free man after being held in a Tijuana prison for nearly two weeks. Sgt. Brian Johnston was released late Friday night after accidentally crossing the border with guns in his truck on October 30th.
Johnston walked out of the state prison in La Mesa, Mexico just before 11:30 p.m. His first words were, "I'm just happy to be home, I can't wait to see my wife and kids." NBC 7/39 reporter Artie Ojeda was there and asked Johnston to describe his feelings at that point. The Marine said simply, "I'm excited, excited."
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| Congressmen Brian Bilbray and Duncan Hunter talked to reporters after Sgt. Brian Johnston was released Friday. They were instrumental in getting the Marine freed from a Mexican prison. |
Johnston went on to talk about the support he has received from San Diegans, especially a protest earlier in the day. "I appreciate everything they've done for me. I don't know how I'll ever repay them. But I really do appreciate that and the support they gave my family," Johnston told reporters. The Marine said he was treated fine and was healthy.
Johnston was reunited with his wife Saturday afternoon at Lindbergh Field. Crystal Johnston the couple's two sons were flown in from their home in North Carolina. Crystal says she was elated when she first saw her husband. "I didn't see him when I first walked off the plane. But when I drove up in the car, my first words were 'Cody, there's your daddy,'" said Johnston. She says she's going to be doing most of the driving for awhile.
Sgt. Johnston's release came after several days of delicate negotiating between the U.S. and high-ranking Mexican officials. Congressmen Brian Bilbray and Duncan Hunter initiated a meeting with the Mexican Attorney General who then recommended that the charges be dropped. Both Bilbray and Hunter were with Sgt. Johnston when he left the prison Friday night. Hunter said, "The system has worked, and we want to thank the Attorney General of Mexico City for his understanding and for moving on this so quickly, and everyone who's been involved." Bilbray added, "Jorge, the Attorney General of Mexico really got involved with this when he realized the sergeant was on official business and really made a special effort to communicate that there had been a misunderstanding that needed to be corrected."
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<<<<<< Protesters call for the release of a U.S. Marine during a demonstration near the border on November 12, 1999. <<<<<< |
On NBC 7/39 News this Weekend Saturday morning, Bilbray was live in studio to talk about Johnston's release. Bilbray said the process got started when he met with Mexico's Attorney General during a conference on border issues in Washington, D.C. Later, Bilbray said he talked to President Clinton about Johnston at a bill signing. Mr. Clinton assured Bilbray he would contact Mexico's President Ernest Zedillo. Bilbray said, "In 25 years in working with Mexico, one of the things you have to understand, it's a delicate balancing act. You want to be forthright and forceful enough to get the message across but you want to always give them the ability to back off a little bit and do the right thing." He said he was glad it didn't become confrontational.
The Johnston family got word of the Marine's release in the wee hours of the morning in North Carolina. On NBC 7/39 News this Weekend Saturday morning, Artie Ojeda and Deborah Takahara talked to Johnston's sister-in-law live by telephone. Laurie McCoy, who lives in New Bern, North Carolina, said she's thrilled about the latest developments. "I think he said he wants to go Disneyland like everybody else. I think they're just going to have fun in San Diego. Crystal said she's bring him back with her so he's hoping to get stationed back here at Cherry Point," said McCoy.
Johnston developed quite a following in San Diego. Local supporters gathered Friday to get their message out in a unique way. Dozens of protesters formed a caravan from Imperial Beach to the border along Interstate 5. They vowed to continue the caravan every day until Johnston was released.
The ordeal began on October 30th when the sergeant was sent to the U.S.-Mexico border to pick up two fellow Camp Pendleton Marines who had been jailed for allegedly bring unauthorized weapons into Mexico. Johnston was to meet the men on the U.S. side of the border at San Ysidro, but said he mistakenly drove in the wrong land at the border checkpoint and crossed into Mexico. Johnston was arrested and charged with gun possession. He faced four to nine years in prison. On Friday, a federal judge in Mexico dropped the charges leading to the Marine's release.
What was the first thing Johnston did after his release? Since he missed his Marine Corps birthday, he and an entourage headed for the nearest Denny's for a traditional steak dinner.
