An Ontario man has been stranded in the Dominican Republic for over two months, despite the fact that all criminal charges against him have been dropped and a judge has confirmed his freedom.
However, administrative delays and a restriction on Canadian interference have left David Bennett unable to return home.
The ordeal began with a case of mistaken identity involving a yellow bag found with drugs at the Punta Cana airport. But that’s no longer the issue.
Bennett’s wife has been fighting hard to bring him home but has been facing many delays.
“All charges were dropped,” said Bennett’s wife, Jane Wilcox. “We learned on April 14th that all charges were going to be dropped… On Friday we learned that it’ll take another one to two weeks to remove travel restrictions.”
What’s keeping Bennett in the country now isn’t law enforcement, it’s paperwork.
According to Bennett’s lawyer, Gary Bouchard, “The one-to-two-week period is by no means definite. It’s not certainly statutory or anything to the best of our knowledge.” He explained that the issue is not a formal travel ban, but a lag in clearing his name from national databases.
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In other words, the holdup appears to be purely administrative, with Bennett’s freedom reliant upon how quickly local systems are updated to reflect that the charges have been dropped.
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“It’s just the consequence of the withdrawal of the charges not yet being populated throughout their data systems,” Bouchard explained. “So that… Dave can leave the country when he presents at the airport — there will be no authority there who will have data to suggest he’s not permitted to leave.”
Bouchard said the system in Punta Cana must update its records so that Bennett doesn’t get stopped again when he tries to fly.
“We are waiting for administrative wheels to turn,” he said. “The challenge for us is finding effective ways to present to the Dominican Republic authorities.
“Due to the very significant emotional and psychological distress that Dave and his family have suffered, we want to make this happen as quickly as possible.”
Wilcox has worked tirelessly to escalate the matter.
“We’ve asked the ambassador and Global Affairs to not to put pressure on the government but just to reiterate the sense of urgency that there’s an innocent Canadian just wallowing there,” Wilcox said.
For Wilcox and Bennett, the delays are taking a serious emotional toll. “He’s exhausted,” Wilcox said. “He’s just trying to get through the days… He feels stuck, he feels vulnerable.”
RCMP also stated they have recently made an arrest involving a case similar to Bennett’s.
“We have made an arrest related to baggage tag switching and exporting of drugs but not directly related to Mr. Bennett’s case or luggage from that trip. Similar method, but not specific to his case. The investigation is ongoing by the Dominican Republic police.”
For Wilcox, the news underlines the plea of her husband’s unnecessary detention.
“The bad guys or girls are being caught. So let the innocent man come home.”
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