Fight for our Son's Freedom
Donation protected
Updated 19 Feb 2019
WE HAVE HOPE AND LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!
In October of 2018, our son Luke was traveling in Thailand in hopes of adventure and exploration in SE Asia.
While staying in a dormitory style Hostel, he was befriended by a fellow American traveler. Over the course of four days, my son was invited by the traveler to join in a birthday celebration and meet some local friends out in town. Over the ensuing days, they both connected at the hostel’s dorm & social areas. On the morning of October 25th, the traveler asked my son to join him for breakfast at a nearby diner spot frequented by foreigners. It was there, during breakfast, that the traveler asked my son the favor of looking after his backpack and belongings at the hostel while he was spending two days site seeing with a girl he had just met; his reason for asking the favor was that he wanted to leave his belongings at the dorm and not give up his bunk space in the hostel. He also told my son that he wanted to join him traveling to Bangkok, and would return on the 27th to check out of the hostel together. My son agreed to take care of the traveler’s belongings over the two days, and was looking forward to having a travel mate. The 27th came and went, but the traveler never returned. On the morning of the 28th, my son still did not see the traveler, so he proceeded to carry the traveler’s belongings down the stairway from the dorm to leave the items with the front desk manager who had earlier approved of holding the items until the traveler returned. As my son was coming down the stairs, he was met at the 2nd floor landing by the American traveler and two police officers. My son asked the traveler what is happening here, the traveler’s reply was, “you’re F##ked”. At the police station the traveler told my son, “I don’t give a sh#t what happens here, I’m using this police report to file a bogus insurance claim”...
My son, Luke, is a US military veteran; as a father who is also a US military veteran, I am praying we find justice to return to our Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.
Luke did a fellow traveler a favor, and for this deed was arrested for being in possession of the other individual’s items; he was charged with personal property theft, a petty crime punishable by 2-5 years in Thailand. He was incarcerated in a government prison for two months, where he survived multiple violent attacks and contacting of scabies parasites before being released on bail after our fifth appeal filing. We are in Thailand currently awaiting trial and judgement hearings ending in April.
We have come a long way, but have more to go for my son’s freedom, and are now incurring the costs of legal defense to get through this.
We had success in seeing bail granted with our last attorney, and are now working with a new attorney who has local (provincial) expertise in criminal cases.
Court costs, fines, fees, ongoing immigration costs, document translation, interpreters, Notary, Affidavit, Apostille services, all in support of case defense is $80,000
We need your help to get the proper legal defense and to get my son home safe.
Please help us with any amount that you can...it will all matter to get our son home safe.
Marco Gonzalez
Grateful Father / Humbled Beneficiary
WE HAVE HOPE AND LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!
In October of 2018, our son Luke was traveling in Thailand in hopes of adventure and exploration in SE Asia.
While staying in a dormitory style Hostel, he was befriended by a fellow American traveler. Over the course of four days, my son was invited by the traveler to join in a birthday celebration and meet some local friends out in town. Over the ensuing days, they both connected at the hostel’s dorm & social areas. On the morning of October 25th, the traveler asked my son to join him for breakfast at a nearby diner spot frequented by foreigners. It was there, during breakfast, that the traveler asked my son the favor of looking after his backpack and belongings at the hostel while he was spending two days site seeing with a girl he had just met; his reason for asking the favor was that he wanted to leave his belongings at the dorm and not give up his bunk space in the hostel. He also told my son that he wanted to join him traveling to Bangkok, and would return on the 27th to check out of the hostel together. My son agreed to take care of the traveler’s belongings over the two days, and was looking forward to having a travel mate. The 27th came and went, but the traveler never returned. On the morning of the 28th, my son still did not see the traveler, so he proceeded to carry the traveler’s belongings down the stairway from the dorm to leave the items with the front desk manager who had earlier approved of holding the items until the traveler returned. As my son was coming down the stairs, he was met at the 2nd floor landing by the American traveler and two police officers. My son asked the traveler what is happening here, the traveler’s reply was, “you’re F##ked”. At the police station the traveler told my son, “I don’t give a sh#t what happens here, I’m using this police report to file a bogus insurance claim”...
My son, Luke, is a US military veteran; as a father who is also a US military veteran, I am praying we find justice to return to our Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.
Luke did a fellow traveler a favor, and for this deed was arrested for being in possession of the other individual’s items; he was charged with personal property theft, a petty crime punishable by 2-5 years in Thailand. He was incarcerated in a government prison for two months, where he survived multiple violent attacks and contacting of scabies parasites before being released on bail after our fifth appeal filing. We are in Thailand currently awaiting trial and judgement hearings ending in April.
We have come a long way, but have more to go for my son’s freedom, and are now incurring the costs of legal defense to get through this.
We had success in seeing bail granted with our last attorney, and are now working with a new attorney who has local (provincial) expertise in criminal cases.
Court costs, fines, fees, ongoing immigration costs, document translation, interpreters, Notary, Affidavit, Apostille services, all in support of case defense is $80,000
We need your help to get the proper legal defense and to get my son home safe.
Please help us with any amount that you can...it will all matter to get our son home safe.
Marco Gonzalez
Grateful Father / Humbled Beneficiary
Organizer and beneficiary
Rob Hanna
Organizer
San Diego, CA
Marco Gonzalez
Beneficiary
