College student from Chicago released from Copenhagen prison after Uber fare dispute, but remains in Denmark
A Chicago-area college student has been released from a Danish prison after being arrested in Copenhagen while on spring break, according to his parents.
Owen Ray and his friend are alums of Saint Ignatius College Prep on Chicago's Near West Side.
Copenhagen Police confirmed that the two young men were arrested Monday, March 31, and charged with common assault. They were sentenced to 10 days pretrial detention had been released by the afternoon of Monday, April 14, but were required to report daily until a court hearing.
A spokesperson also told CBS News that Ray and his friend had been made to forfeit their passports and remained in Denmark.
"We remain deeply concerned that Danish authorities have confiscated his passport and will not allow him to return to the United States – something we understand is unusual in Danish court proceedings," Ray's parents said in a statement. "The facts make clear that Owen is the victim in this case, and we urge Danish officials to allow him to return home to the United States without delay."
According to Jordan Finfer, the U.S. attorney for Owen Ray, Ray and his friend were in Copenhagen to visit friends for spring break. Ray's parents said they got into an Uber, realized they had put in the wrong address, tried and failed to change their destination address, asked the driver if he could take them to the correct address and, when he said he couldn't, got out of the car a short distance away, then ordered another Uber.
Ray's attorney said the Uber driver accused the boys of not paying for the ride, but receipts show they did.
"The Uber driver first says, 'I'm going to call the police,' and you can hear them saying, 'We've done nothing wrong. Call the police,'" Ray's mother said.
A spokesperson for Ray's family claims there was then an altercation between the boys and the driver, in which the driver physically assaulted the boys, before they ran away in fear and went back to their hotel. However, Danish lawyer Eigil Strand, who represents Ray and spoke with CBS News, said that "some physical interactions were swapped between the parties."
The two boys were arrested at the Copenhagen airport when they went to return to the U.S. on previously scheduled flights.
Ray and his friend have missed two weeks of college so far. Ray is a student at Miami University in Ohio.
Earlier, Ray's mother said that, even while waiting for a trial, it's the years to come she is the most worried about for Ray.
"There are going to be ramifications from this. You know, when you're locked in a jail cell for 23 hours a day, you can't come out without nothing," she said.
On Thursday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson released a statement on the situation:
"We are aware of reports surrounding the arrest of two U.S. citizens in Denmark. Staff at our embassy in Copenhagen are providing consular assistance. The Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment."
The office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) also released a statement:
"Senator Durbin's office has been in regular contact with the family and with our embassy in Denmark since being made aware of situation."
