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
A family of Christian missionaries from Indiana who moved to the Caribbean island of Dominica to escape COVID vaccine mandates are finding their dream destination less than ideal.
Jason and Jennifer Grogg moved to Dominica with their four children in 2021, but were arrested this spring along with two of their teenage daughters after police found a gun and ammunition, which they said had been accidentally packed into a shipping container with their other belongings out The United States. .
The 44-year-old father pleaded guilty in the case in a deal that saw charges against his wife and daughters dropped, but now he faces new charges as his family runs out of money to return to the US. Indianapolis star reported on Friday.
“We left the United States for a very special reason when it came to the COVID nonsense,” Jason told the outlet. “But we also saw very clearly that this is the path God wanted us to follow for unknown purposes.”
The family also left America because of their dismay over the expansion of LGBTQ rights, according to self-published newsletters about their travels reviewed by the Star.
Jason and Jennifer Grogg moved to Dominica with their four children in 2021, but were arrested this spring along with two of their teenage daughters after police found a gun and ammunition
The 44-year-old father pleaded guilty in the case in a deal that saw charges against his wife and daughters dropped, but now he faces new charges
In the new interview and in statements on social media, the Grogg family says they have been unfairly attacked and harassed by the government of Dominica.
Dominica, not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, is a small island nation in the Caribbean with a population of about 74,000 and a nominal GDP per capita of $9,356, according to IMF data.
The Groggs say they felt called by God to leave the U.S. and move to Dominica, where they hoped to provide missionary services to local residents while enjoying fewer pandemic restrictions.
Their troubles began in April, when police searched their belongings, including the US shipping container stored behind their church, after a police encounter.
Police said they found a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, multiple magazines and assorted ammunition.
Jason told the Star that he accidentally packed the gun and planned to obtain a permit to legally own it.
He said the gun was initially found in a carrying case in an unsecured room in the church building, where he was sorting through items from the shipping container with the group's permission.
Jason and his wife were both arrested, along with daughters Hannah, 18, and Gracia, 16.
The Groggs say the gun was accidentally packed in a 40-foot shipping container along with their other belongings from the US.
Police said they found a Glock 9mm pistol, 9mm and 20mm ammunition, four M16 magazines with 30 rounds of ammunition and 17 20-gauge shells.
In a recent Christmas message on YouTube, Jason said, “What seems like a mess gone wrong is well within God's command.”
The Grogg family is featured in a Christmas message they posted on YouTube
'My wife and my two daughters were kept in a cell measuring less than 3 meters by 1.20 meters for seven days. It was just incredibly inhumane,” Jason told the Star.
In a deal to release his wife and daughters, Jason pleaded guilty to the possession of the firearms charge, and paid a fine of $25,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars, or approximately $9,250 US dollars.
Shortly after being released, Jason was arrested again at the airport while attempting to visit the U.S. Consulate in Barbados.
He was jailed for about a week more on new customs charges, claiming the family had evaded duties on items they brought into the country.
He has to appear in court in February to face customs charges.
“They leave it for months and it makes it exponentially more expensive for me,” he said.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the arrests of U.S. citizens in Dominica but declined to comment further due to privacy concerns.
In a recent Christmas message on YouTube, Jason said: 'With all that has happened this year, and it has been a lot, it is good to remind ourselves that the birth of Christ changed the trajectory of human history, has changed dramatically. '
He added, “What seems like a mess that has gotten out of hand is well within God's order.”