Latin America

Judi Lynn

(162,638 posts) Sat Dec 30, 2023, 03:29 PM Dec 2023

Indiana missionary family who fled the US due to COVID mandates is arrested on the Caribbean island of Dominica after co [View all]

Indiana missionary family who fled the US due to COVID mandates is arrested on the Caribbean island of Dominica after cops seized a gun and ammo from their 40ft shipping container

Jason and Jennifer Grogg moved with their four kids to Dominica in 2021

They were arrested after police found a handgun and ammo in their possession

Jason pleaded guilty and paid a fine but now faces a separate customs charge

By KEITH GRIFFITH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 02:17 EST, 30 December 2023 | UPDATED: 02:24 EST, 30 December 2023

A family of Christian missionaries from Indiana who moved to the Caribbean island of Dominica to escape COVID vaccine mandates is finding the dream destination to be less than ideal.

Jason and Jennifer Grogg moved with their four kids to Dominica in 2021, but were arrested alongside two of their teen daughters this spring after police found a handgun and ammunition, which they say was accidentally packed in a shipping container with their other belongings from the US.

The father, 44, pleaded guilty in the case, in a deal that saw charges dropped against his wife and daughters, but now faces new charges, with his family out of funds to return to the US, the Indianapolis Star reported on Friday.

'We left the United States for a very particular reason when it came to the COVID nonsense,' Jason told the outlet. 'But we also saw very clearly this is the path that God was wanting us to take for purposes unknown.'

The family also left America because of their displeasure with the expansion of LGBTQ rights, according to self-published newsletters of their travels reviewed by the Star.

More:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12911917/Indiana-missionary-family-fled-COVID-mandates-arrested-Caribbean-island-Dominica-cops-seized-gun-ammo-40ft-shipping-container.html

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Jason and Jennifer Grogg in Prison on Firearms Charge in Dominica, Faces Fine
Photo of Barbara Barbara 27th April, 2023

An American national who is currently in custody for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, Jason James Grogg, said he shipped the weapons to Dominica by mistake. He said he packed the weapons into a container in the United States but didn’t intend to ship them to Dominica. His lawyers are asking for a monetary fine instead of a prison sentence.

Jason Grogg and his wife Jennifer have been remanded at the Stock Farm Prison until May 5th. They are jointly charged with the trafficking of firearms.

The fact of the case is that police authorities executed a search warrant on Grogg’s Mahaut home on April 17 where they found a large cache of firearms and ammunition. He agreed that the weapons belonged to him and that he did not have a license for firearms. Upon further inquiries, he told police officers that he was the owner of a 40-foot container placed in a church compound in the community.

The police obtained a warrant to search the container the next day, and with the help of customs officers, moved the container to the port where they discovered more firearms and ammunition. A search of Grogg’s daughter Hannah also yielded firearms and live ammo. He and his wife Jennifer and four children aged 18, 16, 14, and 12 were arrested and placed in custody before arraignment in court.

Below is a list of the weapons seized from Jason Grogg:

120 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition
17 rounds of universal 20-gauge Winchester ammunition
45 rounds of .9mm ammunition
One 57mm M16 spent shell casing
Three 20mm M21A1B1 spent shell casing
Three 20mm projectile
One 37mm M63 projectile
One .9mm Glock 19 pistol
Three .9mm 15-round capacity magazines, and
Four 30-round capacity 5.56 magazines