(WWJ) Two American citizens from Michigan have been behind bars in Mexico for nearly a month, over an alleged unpaid resort bill.
WWJ's Charlie Langton reports Paul, who is a 21-year Navy veteran, and his wife Christy Akeo, they thought that they had settled a $117,000 timeshare dispute regarding credit card charges with the Palace Resorts.
"That's a big resort in Cancun," Langton said. "Now they resolved it, they thought, a year ago by making a settlement. And they still liked Cancun — they just didn't want to go back to the Palace Resorts — so they decided they would take a trip."
When they got off the plane in Cancun, they were immediately arrested, flagged by their passports, and taken to a Cancun jail where they have remained for the past three weeks.
Langton said no bail was set, and it could be as long as six months until their next court hearing.
They don't speak Spanish, and all of the proceedings are in Spanish, causing further trouble for the couple.
"They say that this is a civil dispute that should be handled and was handled in the civil courts here in the United States, but for some reason they sit today in a Mexican jail unknown when they'll be getting out," Langton said.
Langton said most of this information is coming from the couple's daughter, Lindsey Hull, who claims that Palace Resorts breached their contract and is retaliating against her parents.
She has been in contact, only briefly, with her mother by phone and she's very concerned for mom and stepdad's wellbeing.
Hull has contacted legal representatives and authorities in both Mexico and the U.S., as well as congressional representatives, but so far she hasn't secured her parents' release.
Republican Congressman Tom Barrett, who represents the couple's home district, released a statement saying: “I have been in contact and will continue working with the White House, State Department, and law enforcement partners in Michigan to ensure this situation is resolved as urgently and safely as possible.”