Idahoans Facing Trafficking Charges In Haiti - KIVITV.COM | Boise. News, Breaking News, Weather and Sports-

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KIVI-TV Today's 6 News
Posted: Feb 1, 2010 12:15 AM
Updated: Feb 1, 2010 12:15 AM

Eight Idahoans are among the ten people being held on human trafficking charges in earthquake ravaged Haiti. The group was picked up Saturday after they tried to take 33 orphans across the countries border to their temporary orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

"We've been wrongly accused of something, I believe it's trafficking, which is completely not the truth," New Life Children's Refuge Director Laura Silsby said outside a hospital.

Haitian officials clam the charity group didn't have documentation or passports for any of the 33 children. Silsby confirmed that to reporters in Haiti. "For me it's not American's who've been arrested," Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said. "It's kidnappers who have been arrested."

Video shows a few members of the group at a Haitian hospital Sunday because one of the Idahoans, Chrissa Coulter, was being treated for diabetic shock. Her condition isn't known at this time, and family members couldn't be reached. "We believe God is with her and will protect her," her father Mel Coulter told Today's 6 Saturday.

At the Meridian Church many of the group call home, Sunday morning brought backlash. Central Valley Baptist Church Pastor Clint Henry has received several angry and threatening phone calls. Parishioners there are keeping the faith, and won't let what's happened stopping them from helping in the future. "Its discouraged us but it has not soured us," Henry said during a press conference.

Despite the charges, the missionarys wore forced smiles as they talked to reporters late Saturday night. The 33 kids the group was trying to move are now in another orphanage. Workers there claim that the children came in so hungry and thirsty that a few of the babies had to be hospitalized for dehydration. They also say some of the children aren't orphans at all. "We already know that some of these children still have parents because an elder girl, maybe 8 or 9 years old told us crying, I'm not an orphan I do have my parents," Orphanage Spokesman George Willeit told reporters.

Silsby and the group maintain it is all a misunderstanding and that they're trying to help the kids. "We came here simply to help these children and we went to the border based on the approval of the Dominican government to take the children into the Dominican Republic and the pastor entrusting these precious children to our care because his orphanage collapsed and his churches collapsed, and he had nowhere for these children to go," Silsby said Sunday.

The Pastor at the group's church echo those thoughts. "The only comment I would make on that is that I don't believe that," Henry said.


The arrested families have ask U.S. Officials for help, but haven't said what kind of help they're getting. All ten will go in front of a Haitian Judge on Monday.


Idahoans Facing Trafficking Charges In Haiti - KIVITV.COM | Boise. News, Breaking News, Weather and Sports-