Nightmare in La Romana for Oregon Tourists

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AlterEgo

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Beaverton man held by police in Dominican Republic

A Beaverton man was placed on house arrest in the Dominican Republic after police accused him of hitting and killing a motorcycle rider.

Lori Breeden and John Ekman of Beaverton said they actually stopped to report the death to police. But when officers got there, they took the couple into custody.

"It's terrifying, we have no resources to be doing this. We're on vacation, but we're not wealthy people," said Dreeden.

In a Skype interview with KGW, Breeden and Ekman said they had rented a car to visit a friend in La Romana on Nov. 8. They said the drive home was dark and rainy when they saw an unoccupied motorcycle lying in their lane.

"I hit the motorcycle and air bags went off, smoke filled the car," said Ekman.

The couple pulled over and saw a man dead on the side of the road. Ekman said other people had already pulled over.

"I speak fluent Spanish, so the few people that were there were talking about it," he said. "And they said that the man had been hit by a truck."

Eckman said onlookers started to leave and urged him and Breeden to do the same.

"Our friends told us later that the Dominicans don't like to stay around an accident for fear of being (implicated)," said Ekman. "We were offered a ride to get away and we said, 'No, we're going to stay until the police get here.' We had no fear that we had done anything wrong."

When police arrived, they separated the couple and took Ekman to jail.

"The jail cell smelled of urine," Ekman said. "We had to pee in a bottle and throw it out the window."

Breeden said officers released her from custody and let her keep her passport, but they confiscated Eckman's. She said family and friends of the crash victim showed up to the jail where Ekman was taken.

"A mob of angry family members was yelling, 'Killer' and wanting John to be in jail for the next three months," said Breeden. "There was no consideration ... or reconstruction of the accident scene."

A representative from the U.S. Embassy got Ekman out of jail and into house arrest, where Dominican police say he could stay for six months if he's not cleared of the crime.

"Be very cautious driving in any third world country," warned Ekman. "This is a lesson to everybody."

The offices of Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley were in touch with Ekman and Breeden. In separate emails to the couple, representatives for the senators said they would be working with the U.S. Embassy in an effort to move the case along.

Video and story:

http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local...by-police-in-the-dominican-republic/75912984/
 

melphis

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Never ever stop. Its really hard not to want to help as I was raised to help when you can. Proof that the mob mentality here can get you killed.
 

markryan

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Stupid tourists... That's what happens when you "want to do the right thing"....

Not really stupid..........just tourist. When you are a tourist you don't know the way of the land. Before reading DR1 I would have done the same thing in that situation.
 

Kipling333

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Jan 12, 2010
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I have doubts about this story . The man said he speaks fluent spanish so it is almost certain he knows latin america .. he was warned to go away and the victim was already dead..so why did he hang around ..so what the police supposed to do when there is a car with airbags inflated a motor bike run over by the car and a dead cyclist .Of course he has to be detained. The using of the phrase third world country will probably keep him confined for much longer .
 

AlterEgo

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I have doubts about this story . The man said he speaks fluent spanish so it is almost certain he knows latin america .. he was warned to go away and the victim was already dead..so why did he hang around ..so what the police supposed to do when there is a car with airbags inflated a motor bike run over by the car and a dead cyclist .Of course he has to be detained. The using of the phrase third world country will probably keep him confined for much longer .

Maybe it's as simple as thinking he needed a police report to give to the rental car agency for insurance purposes, assuming it was a rental. Actually, same thing in the event that he borrowed the car.
 

GinzaGringo

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Sep 29, 2010
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This story, this case, presents a very interesting dilema. The American says he didn't do it, that other witnesses on the scene said a truck hit the motorcyclist. It would seem that the American is 100% innocent. The general consensus amongst DR1-ers seems to be that he should have left the scene of the accident, that he was a fool for staying, despite his innocence.

Why do you all hold this opinion? Is it a total and complete lack of faith in the judicial system in the DR? Is it because you think the hassle of establishing your innocence would not be worth it?

Doesn't he run the risk of making the situation worse by running? He was in a rental car that apparently was not able to move. So presumably the authorities would have been able to eventually trace the vehicle back to him. By running, wouldn't he just be making things worse???

He seems innocent of manslaughter (accidentally killing the motorcyclist) and presumably he will eventually be vindicated of that charge. But if he had run, wouldn't he have been committing some other kind of offense, fleeing the scene of accident, or something.

I guess I am questioning the wisdom of those who are suggesting that fleeing would have been the best, or dare I say it, moral, move to make in that situation.
 

SKY

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This story, this case, presents a very interesting dilema. The American says he didn't do it, that other witnesses on the scene said a truck hit the motorcyclist. It would seem that the American is 100% innocent. The general consensus amongst DR1-ers seems to be that he should have left the scene of the accident, that he was a fool for staying, despite his innocence.

Why do you all hold this opinion? Is it a total and complete lack of faith in the judicial system in the DR? Is it because you think the hassle of establishing your innocence would not be worth it?

Doesn't he run the risk of making the situation worse by running? He was in a rental car that apparently was not able to move. So presumably the authorities would have been able to eventually trace the vehicle back to him. By running, wouldn't he just be making things worse???

He seems innocent of manslaughter (accidentally killing the motorcyclist) and presumably he will eventually be vindicated of that charge. But if he had run, wouldn't he have been committing some other kind of offense, fleeing the scene of accident, or something.

I guess I am questioning the wisdom of those who are suggesting that fleeing would have been the best, or dare I say it, moral, move to make in that situation.

If you have faith in the DR Judicial System than by all means you should stay. Most here do not.
 

Bronxboy

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Jul 11, 2007
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If he stays, aside from a money issue, he could be killed by the onlookers. Has happened before. Just saying..........
 

SKY

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A few months from now this guy is going to wish that he headed straight for the airport.
 

VJS

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Beaverton man held by police in Dominican Republic
"I hit the motorcycle and air bags went off, smoke filled the car," said Ekman.

The couple pulled over and saw a man dead on the side of the road. Ekman said other people had already pulled over.

"I speak fluent Spanish, so the few people that were there were talking about it," he said. "And they said that the man had been hit by a truck."

If his airbags deployed upon hitting a stationary object, he must have been traveling at 25 MPH or faster, when hitting that bike. And apparently there were other vehicles standing around already, so it's not like there was no warning. How do you hit a bike lying on the road surrounded by other cars, at that speed?

I suspect he hit a bike in the dark and now trying to make up some truck story. With his airbags deployed, good luck selling it to the DR police.
 

miguel james

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Nov 6, 2012
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Many people don't warn their family and friends about driving in the DR. I am all for exploring but I always try to inform as much as possible about the pitfalls.
 

melphis

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A few weeks ago Mike Fisher posted a story here about a freind of his who was killed by a local mob after he hit a moto. If your car is still driveable my advice is high tail it out of there.
Even if you chose to drive to a police station at least your somewhat safe from the lynch mob.
 

GinzaGringo

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Sep 29, 2010
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Not if he went home ASAP. They could Whistle Dixie once he was out of here.

Even if he went home they would have found him, unless he paid for the rental car in cash, which generally is not the practice. They would have his name, his address, etc. Does anyone know if a foreigner has ever been extradited to the DR?
 

SKY

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Even if he went home they would have found him, unless he paid for the rental car in cash, which generally is not the practice. They would have his name, his address, etc. Does anyone know if a foreigner has ever been extradited to the DR?

There is no chance of getting extradited to the DR for this. It is better to be home with them looking for you, then in jail with them having you.
 
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