BajaNomad

Utah teen jailed in Mexico; Parents worry for his life

BajaNews - 5-12-2006 at 11:40 AM

http://www.abc4.com/local_news/local_headlines/story.aspx?co...

5/12/2006

A family from Sandy is making a desperate plea to get their son out of a Mexican jail.

Tommy McDowell's parents thought he was in Las Vegas with his boss, but on Saturday, their 19-year old son called claiming he was in Ensenada and he was in jail and was being repeatedly beaten.

His parents don't know what Tommy is charged with or why he's in jail.

A woman who is apparently acquainted with the family later called left a voice mail asking for 200 dollars in cash she would need to go to Mexico and get their son out of jail, but later she called back saying she needed 500 dollars more.

Later, the woman left another phone message saying she needed 70 thousand dollars, a new truck, and a house in order to secure tommy's release.

The McDowells aren't wealthy, but members of their family do possess some substantial assets. They worry that someone knows about these assets and may be extorting them.

Tommy just graduated from Jordan High School, where he played on the football team.

Tommy's parents did get through to the FBI on Wednesday and an agent agreed to meet with them on Thursday.

Sandy teen remains in Mexican prison; Faces counterfeiting and drug charges

BajaNews - 5-12-2006 at 11:42 AM

http://www.abc4.com/local_news/local_headlines/story.aspx?co...

5/12/2006

The parents of a former Jordan High School athlete may have to come up with ten thousand dollars to get him out of a Mexican jail. Tommy McDowell was arrested on charges of using a fake one hundred dollar bill to buy prescription drugs in a town near Ensenada, Mexico.

Ensenada Police say he was with a group of four who tried to use the phony bill to buy the drugs. They say they found more counterfeit money and sixty pills in a pickup truck with Utah license plates. McDowells parents describe that truck as Tommy's.

Even though he may have made a mistake, his parents are trying to do anything they can to bring him back to the U.S.

Dawn McDowell says, "He did something wrong, but we love him and we want to bring him back."

But legal experts say once a person travels to another country, they are bound by that country's laws. Philadelphia attorney Richard Atkins, says, "When you go to a foreign country the U.S. Constitution doesn't follow you there."

The McDowells say Atkins has agreed to find a reputable attorney in Mexico to help their son through the court process. If he is found guilty of the crimes, the attorney would request a transfer back to the U.S. correctional system. But they say Atkins is asking for ten thousand dollars to hold for expenses.

That's money the McDowells say they don't have, but they're willing to do anything they can to get him back.

Tommy's parent's are already wary of paying out a lot of money for their son's release. Earlier this week, the received voice messages from a woman who claimed to be working to get Tommy out of jail. The woman first asked for 200, then 500 dollars. She eventually left a terse message demanding much, much more.

In that message, the woman can be heard saying she needed:

"70 thousand dollars, a new truck and a new house."

The woman went on to say:

"You've got millions and millions, lets go there. Sell more; give more, but you don't get nothing for free. I'm sorry. I'll visit your son one more time and I'm outta here."

ABC 4 contacted a U.S. State Department official in Washington D.C. who said there's little they can do.

Dawn McDowell believes her son is getting beat up in the Mexican jails. She fears his life is in danger.

"We want him to pay for what he did. We just don't want him hurt anymore."

TMW - 5-12-2006 at 12:34 PM

One thing the State Department could do is have the American Consulate check on the kid and get the facts. That is if they would get off their well paying federal butts.

woody with a view - 5-12-2006 at 01:01 PM

Quote:

One thing the State Department could do is have the American Consulate check on the kid and get the facts. That is if they would get off their well paying federal butts.


that's a non-starter.....nobody in the US govt wants to get involved in the goings on in mexico. not to mention the US gov't doesn't tell mexico what to do, it's the other way around.:lol:

i get tired of feeling sorry for all the dumb people who can't follow the rules and then want to "have another chance". darwin's theory of evolution in action my friends. i do feel sorry for all of the parents though...

[Edited on 5-12-2006 by woody in ob]

capt. mike - 5-12-2006 at 01:57 PM

a fool and his freedom often part.
money , and a ton of it is the only thing that will fix a problem like this.

JESSE - 5-12-2006 at 04:21 PM

Got caught with counterfeit bills and drugs and he deserves special treatment?

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Bruce R Leech - 5-12-2006 at 05:00 PM

1000 dollar bill you need to be pretty desperate to try and pass one of those

JZ - 5-12-2006 at 06:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
money , and a ton of it is the only thing that will fix a problem like this.


How much would you guess.

Sallysouth - 5-12-2006 at 06:49 PM

Uh, Bruce, ya got one too many zeros there!:lol:

Frank - 5-12-2006 at 09:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by JESSE
Got caught with counterfeit bills and drugs and he deserves special treatment?

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.


I agree!!!!!!!!!!

bajarich - 5-12-2006 at 09:16 PM

I once worked for a wonderful guy whose daughter got caught getting on a plane in Mexico with drugs. It cost him his house to get her back.

This story was all over the news in Salt Lake last night. They make it out like the boy was a good kid who just made a mistake. It looks like he made more than one mistake. I think he was old enough to know exactly what he was doing and should have known right from wrong. I also think there are probably worse places than Mexican jails, Turkish jails for instance.

The Mormons here are very big on what they call "Free Agency". It means, as I understand it, that you should be free to do what you want, but you should also be willing to accept the consequences that may come with those actions.
I think that applies here.

capt. mike - 5-13-2006 at 07:28 AM

as much as mid 5 figures would be my guess from other events i've heard of. several in the pay out loop to take care of. jailer to judge and a few abogados in the stream.

Bob H - 5-13-2006 at 08:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajarich
The Mormons here are very big on what they call "Free Agency". It means, as I understand it, that you should be free to do what you want, but you should also be willing to accept the consequences that may come with those actions.
I think that applies here.


Like Capt Mike said "A fool and his freedom often part"....

TMW - 5-13-2006 at 08:55 AM

Everyone on here is quick to say he's guilty without knowing the facts. All based on news reports provided by the police. Knowing how honest all the authorities in Mexico are I would rather wait to know the truth. As an American citizen it is his right to have the American government check on him. If it's all true then he will pay the price for his actions.

woody with a view - 5-13-2006 at 12:56 PM

at this point don't the federales have the upper hand, guilty or not? the kid IS guilty until his folks get an attorney to prove otherwise. he's not under our legal system's protections.

there is a good side to this story-

the gene pool just got shallower, and unless you live on a bayou somewhere, that's a good thing!:lol:

Sandy teen stays in Mexican prison as his friend returns to Utah

BajaNews - 5-18-2006 at 07:49 PM

http://www.abc4.com/local_news/local_headlines/story.aspx?co...

5/18/2006

The parents of a former Jordan High School football player are trying desperately to free him from a Mexican jail, but the young man he traveled with is home, even though he was violating his parole by leaving the country.

21-year old Nathan Larsen has a history of felony convictions in Utah, being jailed five times for burglary, theft or possessing forgeries. He was imprisoned for being caught as a fugitive on probation.

On May 5th in Ensenada, Mexico, he and 19-year old Tommy McDowell were accused of trying to spend a counterfeit 100 dollar bill.

Larsen says he hired a Mexican attorney and bailed out. McDowell didn?t have the cash.

Larsen says, ?They told him in the first place if he got a lawyer that he could get out. That?s what I had to do."

He says his attorney paid off the right people and the charges were dropped. "They?re really not interested in nothing but money, you know."

Larsen said there were eight men in a two-man cell with no blankets and food only for those with family members willing to provide. In a cell phone call to his parents, Tommy McDowell said he was beaten in the jail. Larsen said he never saw McDowell beaten, but it could happen.

"It is a possibility he's getting beat right now, but it's not from the jailer," says Larsen.

McDowell?s parents are livid Larsen would leave their son behind.

John McDowell, Tommy?s father, says, "He's never been in the county jail. His very first lockdown experience is in Mexico where nobody speaks his language."

When asked what was said when Larsen left McDowell at the jail he said, "He just said get me out. I said I'll do everything I can in my power."

Has a way with words, don't he?

Dave - 5-18-2006 at 08:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNews
He says his attorney paid off the right people and the charges were dropped. "They?re really not interested in nothing but money, you know."

"It is a possibility he's getting beat right now, but it's not from the jailer," says Larsen.

Be careful who you travel with.

bajajudy - 5-18-2006 at 08:58 PM

Although I doubt this kid is what we would call "driven snow" He certainly picked a person I would not want to travel with. His buddy knew the ropes. and left him with one to hang himself no doubt.
Pobrecito...yo no lo sey.

TMW - 5-20-2006 at 11:52 AM

This post started on the 12th and on the 18th the guy the kid was with is back home. I'm beginning to smell a rat or the parents really don't care. If it was my kid I'd be down there hiring an attorney to get him out, And it wouldn't take me 6 days or more. The first post indicates they are not poor and on welfare, so what are they waiting for. Once I got him home there would be h**l to pay for being stupid.

Sharksbaja - 5-20-2006 at 12:16 PM

Ya gotta wonder? I don't blame the other kid from saving his own arse. When I was stuck in jail down there at the same age it was a horrendous experience. My idiot friend who at the time of his crime was not even with us, chose off some official guy and we all ended up in the Ensenada roofless jail. The experience reminescent of "The Midnight Express" , I had much anxiety about ever going back to Baja.
My surfing buddies on the outside of jail (thank god) had to go get cash from San Diego on the third day as they doubled the fine daily. One of (if not ) the worst days as a young man. Yes, a definite lesson! I feel bad that this dumb kid has such dumb parents. Guess they don't realize the gravity of the situation. DUH!

awfulart - 5-31-2006 at 06:40 AM

If the situation was reversed and a Mexican Citizen was in one of our jails would the ACLU , La Raza and other organizations make sure his rights were not violated.

The State Dept should be involved and may be, but we should not dictate to the Mexican Government but do everything to protect the rights of our citizens in foreign countries The Mexican Government does try to influence how we treat their citizens and we should do the same.

Justice may not be the goal of some in Mexico unless it has a dollar sign that changes the viewpoint of what Justice is.

Don Alley - 5-31-2006 at 03:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cincodemayo
Don't forget what our own politicians are like people...

WASHINGTON, DC -- A new investigation reveals an astonishingly large number of wife-beaters, drunks, shoplifters, check-bouncers, business failures, and drug abusers in the U.S. House and Senate -- which ought to make Americans think carefully before turning to Washington, DC for moral leadership, the Libertarian Party
said today...


"think carefully?" :lol:

This "new" investigation dates back to 1999, it's just a bunch of internet crap. Seen it before.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/congress.htm
"piece of cheap, inflammatory tripe"

Cincodemayo - 5-31-2006 at 03:39 PM

Remember OJ was innocent too....:lol::lol::lol: