Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Military

Marine Vet Jon Hammar To Be Released From Mexican Jail Today

Marine veteran Jon Hammar in Mexican prison.
Courtesy of Olivia Hammar
Marine veteran Jon Hammar in Mexican prison.

Marine veteran Jon Hammar, who has been held in a Mexican jail for more than four months on a gun charge, will be released today.

The Marine's mother, Olivia Hammar, confirmed the impending release to Fox News Radio:

Olivia Hammar said the judge hearing Hammar's case issued a ruling in his favor and that her son is to be released at a time on Friday yet to be announced. No more details were available.

As Home Post reported earlier this week, Jon Hammar had in his possession an antique firearm that belonged to his grandfather as he and a friend headed to Costa Rica on a surfing trip. According to McClatchy Newspapers, Hammar, 27, was immediately arrested in Mexico when he declared the gun to Mexican Customs agents.

Advertisement

Knight Ridder news reports Hammar's mother, Olivia, received a letter from the Mexican ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukban, after her son's imprisonment, which read in part:

"As you know well, Mexico has had very stringent gun-control laws in place for many years, and has reinforced their application as a result of the flow of weapons illicitly purchased in the U.S., and then trafficked into Mexico and into the hands of Transnational Criminal Organizations. Mr. Hammar was arrested for the possession of a weapon that according to Federal Law in Mexico is restricted for the exclusive use of the Mexican Armed Forces."

Hammar faced up to 15 years in prison if he'd been convicted on the gun charges.