American Couple Arrested in Cabarete

businessdr

Member
Oct 8, 2011
431
2
18
According to dominicantoday.com, An American couple and their Dominican "companion" were arrested Thursday in Cabarete for swimming in the beach despite the hurricane Maria anti swimming ban.

What do people think about this? Now Gringos are getting arrested on the beach. Wow...

What's next for this "Caribbean Paradise"?
 

DRob

Gold
Aug 15, 2007
8,234
594
113
You finally deciding the place isn't right for you and moving on?

You accepting the fact that you're not going to leave, and complaining is futile?

You recognizing that your attitude might have a tiny bit to do with your unhappiness here?
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
4,734
2,492
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I see nothing wrong with it. The swimming ban is put in place for a reason.
 

Fulano2

Bronze
Jun 5, 2011
3,287
621
113
Europe
According to dominicantoday.com, An American couple and their Dominican "companion" were arrested Thursday in Cabarete for swimming in the beach despite the hurricane Maria anti swimming ban.

What do people think about this? Now Gringos are getting arrested on the beach. Wow...

What's next for this "Caribbean Paradise"?


What would you have written if they would have drowned then? 
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
According to dominicantoday.com, An American couple and their Dominican "companion" were arrested Thursday in Cabarete for swimming in the beach despite the hurricane Maria anti swimming ban.

What do people think about this? Now Gringos are getting arrested on the beach. Wow...

What's next for this "Caribbean Paradise"?

so gringos should not be arrested for violating the law of the land? and why exactly is this, pray tell?
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
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American idiots get arrested for violating a swimming ban put in place because of a hurricane and someone gets upset about it?
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
3,480
732
113
I was nearly arrested for playing frisbee with a bunch of my Air Force mates on Virginia Beach.

It was mid April and we were the only ones there on a rather chilly day.  A cop saw us and rushed over to us on his quad bike and very sternly pointed to the sign saying that ball games were not permitted on the beach.

Arguing the fact that a frisbee was not technically a ball, was only met with consternation from the cop and told me to stop being a wise a$$, or I would find myself in jail.

So I politely asked the cop where the local planning department office was.  He asked why.  I replied that perhaps we would need to submit planning permission before we built a sand castle on his precious beach!
 

Norberto61

Member
Jun 21, 2015
59
5
8
Good- when jackasses do stupid **** like this - someone has to try to save them or at least retrieve the bodies - taking away resources from the rest of the people during a potential emergency so you can brag to your friends that you swam in a hurricane is ****ing selfish as well as stupid - hope they get jail- then drown
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
Good- when jackasses do stupid **** like this - someone has to try to save them or at least retrieve the bodies - taking away resources from the rest of the people during a potential emergency so you can brag to your friends that you swam in a hurricane is ****ing selfish as well as stupid - hope they get jail- then drown

gee, Norberto...maybe you can tell us how you really feel.

i already agree with you. these asshats just want something they can post on youtube for a little attention.
 

Aguaita29

Silver
Jul 27, 2011
2,618
271
83
According to dominicantoday.com, An American couple and their Dominican "companion" were arrested Thursday in Cabarete for swimming in the beach despite the hurricane Maria anti swimming ban.

What do people think about this? Now Gringos are getting arrested on the beach. Wow...

What's next for this "Caribbean Paradise"?
Dissapointing! They should have left the tides take them away.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
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There are idiots everywhere. Idiots travel and emigrate abroad. When expecting to be coddled from cradle to grave, personal responsibility and accountability are concepts that apparently eludes a few. Exercising poor judgement and an accompanying sense of entitlement seems to be a byproduct of some societies more than others.
 
Jan 7, 2016
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Idiots come and idiots go...let's just let these idiots go back home and tell all their friends and relatives how "persecuted" they were here in the Dominican Republic for acting like friggin' buffoons on the beach during a raging hurricane, after they had been duly warned that it was ILLEGAL to violate an emergency mandate. They can go home and frolic in a tornado!
 

frank12

Gold
Sep 6, 2011
11,847
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I doubt they knew there was a swimming ban. There were no signs anywhere that said "No Swimming." I was on Cabarete beach all through both hurricanes and made videos of them and posted them on Youtube. There are no signs, and no one to stop you from going into the water. The police only come out and wait for you.

I bet plenty people jumped into the water on Wednesday & Friday without having any clue whatsoever as to not being allowed to swim. Until they got out and were arrested, how would they know? There are no lifeguards blowing their whistles at you telling you not to go in. There are no people stopping you from going in.

It's a Catch-22. They arrest you once you come out of the water and only then do they inform you that you broke the law.

My guess--and it could be way off, but i see crazier sh1t every week--is that the police simply waited for them to come out of the water and arrested them without warning them not to go back into the water. Most tourists do not speak Spanish. The police do not speak English. The police love these golden opportunities to make a little money off the tourists--who have no idea that they are breaking the law--which, by the way, is just put in place the day before the hurricane!!

Over night, the police have a golden ticket to make tourists pay what amounts to "Glorified bail money" to stay out of jail until their court date--which could be after their flight is supposed to go back home--back to work. Now they got you by the balls!! It's scam. It's the mother of all scams, and it goes on every single weekend here on the north coast--but particularly in Sosua and Cabarete.

The scam works like this...

The police find people doing something that they had no idea was illegal--i.e skinny dipping, having sex on the beach, Surfing or Kiting in a hurricane or tropical storm, etc. The police immediately arrest them when they come out of the water. Naturally, the police always give the person, or persons, the opportunity to buy themselves out of jail--which most people will do. It's the perfect opportunity to supplement the police income in a semi-legal way. They tell you things like, "What you just did is "Illegal." You are not allowed to skinny dip, take your clothes off, go swimming, etc"--just insert something here__________.

Now, they got you just where they want you. And what they want is money. Plain and simple. They don't give a crap that you're swimming, or Kitting, or Surfing, or Skinny Dipping. All they care about is that a rule/law was put up the day before the hurricane or tropical storm saying "No one is allowed in the water." They then use that rule/law to arrest anyone and get money out of any tourist they can. It's the perfect opportunity to supplement their income. And they do it over and over.

I saw it happen to 6-guys at my bar seven years ago over something so ridiculous, so arbitrary, such a Catch-22, that you have to laugh at the absurdity.

Frank
 

cavok

Silver
Jun 16, 2014
9,531
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Cabarete
I agree. Although a really stupid thing to do, I doubt any of them knew it was illegal. I never heard about it. If the police really wanted to look after the safetly of tourists, they should have had someone there to tell bathers not to go swimming in the first place. They should have have been ordered out of the water. If they refused, then arrested.
 

bienamor

Kansas redneck an proud of it
Apr 23, 2004
5,050
458
83
Pretty sure that their Dominican companion knew what they were doing was illegal. So no excuse except for "sorry I'm stupid and did not know I should not be in the water during a hurricane". The law was all over the news and the dominican grapevine plus the COE sent it out to all smart phone via orange an claro.
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
Pretty sure that their Dominican companion knew what they were doing was illegal. So no excuse except for "sorry I'm stupid and did not know I should not be in the water during a hurricane". The law was all over the news and the dominican grapevine plus the COE sent it out to all smart phone via orange an claro.

exactly, bienamor. it is not as though the hurricane snuck into town, unannounced. i agree with frank12 that there probably were no official warnings, but everyone knew something was coming. these sensation seekers are a pain in the ass. had they died becausee of their bad judgement, you would have heard all kinds of travel advisories about the DR being a dangerous place to take a beach trip.