An Iowa college student’s passport was taken away while they were being investigated in the Dominican Republic. This is a warning for Americans travelling abroad, who should be very careful to keep their travel papers safe, according to an expert.
Joshua Riibe, 22, had his passport and cell phone taken away last month while police tried to figure out how missing spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki died. Police video from Riibe’s hotel showed that she was one of the last people to see Konanki living before the University of Pittsburgh student went missing on a beach in Punta Cana after a night of drinking with friends.
After Konanki went missing, Riibe, who police said was never a suspect, hid out at the Riu Republica Hotel while they kept an eye on him.
Riibe, a student at Minnesota’s St. Cloud State University, had to stay in the Dominican Republic for about two weeks because he couldn’t get back to the United States.
The big mess reached its peak in a Dominican courtroom, where Riibe sat with his father and a translator while lawyers fought over how long he would be held in his hotel room. The case about returning Riibe’s passport was set for a later date, which meant that Riibe might have to stay in the country for a second court hearing.
Riibe told a Dominican judge, “Ever since my passport was taken, it’s very rare that I’m by myself.” After that, he said, “I can’t go anywhere.” I wish I were at home. Give my family and friends a big hug.”
Prosecutors said Riibe lost his passport, while his lawyers said it was taken away.
After the first court case, Riibe was able to get a temporary passport from the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic.
The end of Riibe’s nightmare abroad came on March 19, when he got on a JetBlue flight from Santo Domingo to San Juan, Puerto Rico. NotiCentro claimed that Riibe’s plan to escape was temporarily thwarted when he was detained in Puerto Rico because his new passport did not have the right stamps.
Last week, a judge in the Dominican Republic decided that Riibe’s case was over. The judge granted the key witness’s habeas corpus motion.
“On March 18th, following the conclusion of the habeas corpus hearing that ordered the release of our client, Joshua Riibe, the Prosecutor’s Office of La Altagracia informed him of their readiness to return his passport,” Riibe’s lawyers said. “While Joshua appreciated this decision, he chose, for privacy reasons, to apply for a new passport at the U.S. Consulate, which was promptly issued.”
Even though Riibe was able to get a new passport and go home, his story should serve as a warning to Americans who are travelling abroad and may be asked to show their passport for a number of reasons.
Kate Gladdin, an expert on international travel safety, says that travellers could be asked to give up their passport or other forms of identification by police in another country or as security while on a trip.
“The reality is there are some bad fruits out there that see tourists and can very quickly get [them] in a vulnerable position because they don’t have their government,” Gladdin told Fox News.
“One thing I can say, flat out, is to never hand your passport over as a form of deposit, ever,” said Gladdin. “Sometimes they’d say, ‘Hey, do you want to rent this jet ski?'” Okay, we’ll take your passport as a guarantee that you’ll return it. Do not do it. Leave it in your safe until the end of your trip.
At the risk of losing important identification papers is something that is close to home for Gladdin.
The sister of Gladdin, Nicole Fitzsimons, died in a motorcycle accident in 2012 while she was on vacation with her boyfriend, Jamie Keith.
Fitzsimons, who is 24 years old, was on the back of the bike when a driver on the wrong side of the road crashed into the couple’s car.
Gladdin told Fox News Digital, “She was rushed into surgery.” “We had all our hearts and toes and fingers crossed that she was going to be OK, but unfortunately we did lose her in that surgery.”
Even though Fitzsimons had died, his family’s worst nightmares were far from over.
Keith’s Australian passport was taken by Thai officials, which meant he couldn’t leave the country while the investigation went on.
“Unfortunately, the police tried to see it differently and put us in a really uncomfortable, hard and challenging situation where they took Jamie’s passport,” he said. “There was no justice in Nicole’s death.”
Gladdin also says that people who go on vacation should bring copies of their IDs in case they lose or have their things stolen.
Gladdin said, “Every country is different.” “Be careful, because the rules might not always be in place. For your own safety.” But without those rules, we have no way to stay safe.
As Keith’s family tried to bring him home and dealt with Fitzsimons’ death, Gladdin learnt how to teach parents how to keep their families safe when they travel.
“Travel is one of the most eye-opening things we can do,” he said. “But help them make smart decisions.” That being said, I’m not against travel; I’m for smart travel.
Gladdin also tells parents about federal programs that are meant to keep Americans safe while they are travelling overseas. Through the Smart Traveler Enrolment Program of the State Department, tourists can tell the government about their trips in case something goes wrong.
“[Officials] can quickly update and get in contact with you regarding any safety or security information – whether it’s like an impending cyclone or a terrorist threat – that they need to get you out of a country quickly, if they know you’re there,” said Gladdin.
Fox News Digital did a call to the State Department to get their opinion.
Gladdin is very interested in teaching parents about travel safety because of a terrible event that happened to her family. But she says that other families don’t have to go through what she did.
Lying on the floor of my sister’s bedroom, choosing out her funeral dress rather than helping to choose her wedding dress – there are no positives in that’, Gladdin told Fox News Online. I believe in giving your problems some thought and seeing what you can do to help fix them. This can help you find meaning in what you’re going through. My family gave Nicole’s death meaning by focussing on the issue of travel safety and doing everything they could to fix it.
