Washington Couple Safe; Not Detained in Nicaragua
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ABC News(NEW YORK) — A Washington state couple was not, in fact, detained in Nicaragua, despite a report suggesting otherwise, according to the State Department.
Danielle Blagdon told ABC News Wednesday that her father, Dave Scee, and his wife, Leiann, were on their way to Costa Rica as part of a two-year sailing expedition.
Scee called Blagdon’s sister, Vanessa, Monday morning saying that the couple had run into “trouble with immigration and the military” in Nicaragua and needed her to deposit money into their bank accounts, Blagdon said.
“We don’t know a whole lot,” said Blagdon. “He called Monday morning and he just said they were having trouble with immigration and the military there and they weren’t treating them very nicely, but they were OK and they might have to buy their way to Costa Rica.”
Contacted by ABC News on Tuesday, the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua and the State Department declined to comment, saying only that they were “aware of the reports.”
But now, a State Department official tells ABC News, “The U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua is in contact with the individuals in question and has confirmed they are safe and were not detained. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment at this time.”
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