After nearly three weeks in a Haitian jail, eight Baptists from the United States were released Feb. 17, but two remained in prison in the quake-ravaged country.
The 10 members of a volunteer team were charged with attempting to transport 33 Haitian children into the Dominican Republic without proper documents. The 10 had planned on taking the children to an orphanage that Laura Silsby — one of the two still held in custody — was establishing across the border.
The eight volunteers were released after Haitian parents told Judge Bernard Saint-Vil they had freely given their children to the American group. They were released without bond after promising to come back to Haiti if further questions arise, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Jim Allen, one of eight detainees flown back to the United States on Feb. 17, said in a statement on his church’s Web site that he thanks “the many people around the world who prayed for me.” Allen is a member of Paramount Baptist Church, Amarillo, Texas.
“I hope [our being released] will allow everyone to focus again on the dire conditions that remain in Haiti,” Allen said. “People are still suffering and lack basic necessities. Please find it in your hearts, as I did in mine, to find ways to give to those in need. For those whose cases have not been resolved, we will continue to pray for their safe return.”
Despite Allen’s ordeal, members of Paramount Baptist Church will be sending a contingency to Haiti by week’s end. Before the quake, a team was scheduled to work on an orphanage and in an AIDS hospital. That work will go on, Paramount associate pastor Lance Herrington said.
Silsby, 40, and Charisa Coulter, 24, members of Central Valley Baptist Church, Meridian, Idaho, remain in custody on charges of child kidnapping and criminal association. Silsby was the leader of the group of 10 volunteers, and Coulter has been identified as Silsby’s assistant.
Saint-Vil said he still wanted to question the two because they had visited Haiti in December, prior to the earthquake, to inquire about obtaining orphans, according to AP. The judge planned to question both women Feb. 18, but complications in Coulter’s health status threatened to stall the process. A diabetic, Coulter was taken to a U.S. field hospital Feb. 17 for treatment because she felt faint. After a brief stay, she was returned to jail.
“I’m really praying that we’ll be able to take these kids out and we’ll be able to provide a safe and loving home for these kids who have nothing and that all charges will be dropped and that they will see our hearts,” Coulter said. (BP)
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