[FoxNews] A Mexican federal judge sent Andrew Tahmooressi back to prison after the U.S. Marine sergeant made his first official courtroom appearance since being locked up more than three months ago for accidentally crossing the border with guns in his pickup truck.
The 26-year-old veteran of two tours in Afghanistan was finally able to tell his story to a judge, after his case had been delayed by both Mexico's unpredictable legal system and his own trouble settling on a lawyer. It was not immediately clear what Tahmooressi said at the evidentiary hearing, which was closed to the public. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for August 4.
Despite the judge's ruling, Tahmooressi's attorney, Fernando Benitez, told news hounds that he was confident that the Marine's case was on the right track. Benitez said that his client's statement to the judge was "sound and made perfect sense," and claimed that irregularities with Tahmooressi's detention were grounds for dismissal of the case. The attorney said that his client was not provided with consular services for nearly eight hours after he was detained, nor did he have access to an adequate translator. |