A vacation in Jamaica for a Georgia couple turned into a nightmare Tuesday when the husband was arrested at the airport after security officials found ammunition in his bag.
Steven Carter, 26, spent the night in an open jail cell with several hundred other men, fearing that he could face several years in prison on a terrorism charge, his employer told the AJC Wednesday.
Carter is a preacher at The Church at Southside in Athens. The pastor there, Jeff Williams, said Carter's 22-year-old wife, Erin, called him in a panic Tuesday night. She told him that her husband was detained after customs officials found a .22-caliber bullet in his bag.
"It was stuck in the seams of the bag," Williams said. "They don't know how it got there. Steve doesn't own a gun."
Erin Carter told Williams that her husband expects to be charged with possession of illegal ammunition and terrorism or terroristic threats. Williams said an attorney advised the couple that the ammo charge would result in only a fine but that Steven Carter could face at least seven years in prison if convicted of the terror charge.
Williams said he'd contacted members of Congress, including Georgia Rep. Paul Broun, their representative in Athens. Broun's office had no immediate comment when the AJC called Wednesday. Williams also said Erin Carter had spoken with Sen. Johnny Isakson.
"We have been contacted by the family and are working to try to help our constituent," Isakson spokeswoman Lauren Culbertson told the AJC.
Williams said Carter has owned the bag most of his life but that he hadn't used it in five years. He said he was told that the last time Carter fired a gun was when he was about 10 and went squirrel hunting.
"We're very much concerned with his safety," Williams said.
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