Portland, Oregon Veterinarian Stacey Addison Detained in East Timor for Alleged Meth Trafficking Released on Christmas Day
An Oregon woman detained for nearly two months in an East Timor prison has finally been released, reports FOX News.
Stacey Addison, 41, a veterinarian from Portland, Oregon, was arrested in September after entering East Timor in a taxi that she shared with a man she did not know. The man asked the taxi driver to stop at a DHL office so he could pick up a package. When the taxi crossed the border into the small Southeast Asia country, police stopped it and found methamphetamine in the package, prompting the arrest of Addison and the man.
East Timor authorities found that Addison had no criminal record. Her urine test was negative for drugs. Nonetheless, the authorities continued their investigation. Addison hired a lawyer who told her the investigation could take up to a year.
The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., have been working to secure Addison's release.
"The U.S. government welcomes the decision of a Timor-Leste district court to release U.S. citizen Dr. Stacey Addison from prison on December 25 after she was detained for nearly two months. We have seen the reports that Dr. Addison's passport was retained by the Government of Timor-Leste, and she remains in Timor-Leste," U.S. Department of State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.
"The Department of State takes its assistance to U.S. citizens abroad very seriously. Embassy officials continue to provide all possible consular assistance."
Addison's mother, Bernadette Kero of Klamath Falls, Oregon, told FOX News in a phone interview that she is relieved at the news but is eager for her daughter to reclaim her passport. Kero said she spoke with her daughter twice on Christmas Eve, and that Stacey, who was elated at the news, still is baffled by the whole situation.
A graduate of veterinarian medicine from University of California-Berkeley and UC Davis, Addison traveled to East Timor as part of a series of trips around the world to see exotic animals and meet doctors in the same field. She had already visited Antarctica and regions of Europe.
Addison told family and friends that she has been lonely, frightened and her stay in East Timor has been "a nightmare."
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