The U.S. Marine veteran who was imprisoned in Mexico after accidentally crossing the border illegally is now back in a jail in Illinois on drug charges.
Andrew Tahmooressi, 27, is serving a 1-month jail sentence after being arrested Thursday in Dearborn County, Indiana, for possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to court documents reviewed by the Marine Corps Times.
A police officer reportedly saw Mr. Tahmooressi sitting in a truck and looking disoriented. He admitted to having marijuana on him and was arrested.
Mr. Tahmooressi’s family released a statement on Monday, expressing concern for the marine veteran’s health.
“The family remains gravely concerned about Andrew’s mental health condition,” Jonathan Franks, a spokesman for the family, said. “They are further concerned, given his documented mental health diagnosis and the police’s own claim that he was disoriented upon arrest, that he was allowed to represent himself and plead guilty. The family is in the process of looking into re-opening the case so that a court ordered mental health exam may be conducted.”
Mr. Tahmooressi gained national media attention after he was arrested for mistakenly crossing the border at a Tijuana checkpoint in March 2013. He was carrying weapons and ammunition in the back of his pickup truck.
He was freed in November 2014 with the help of several U.S. lawmakers and television and radio personality Montel Williams.
