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An American citizen was reportedly arrested in Moscow for claiming he got drunk, climbed through a children’s library window and fell asleep.
The man, identified locally as William Russell Nycum, has been placed under administrative arrest for 10 days following the incident at a Moscow children’s library on May 3, and was charged with “minor vandalism.” A separate criminal case of vandalism is also underway.
According to local media, Nycum was in Russia on vacation and staying with some teachers he knew.
On May 2 he went to a bar and disappeared before being arrested the next day.
He claimed to have been kidnapped after getting into a fight with his friends in a bar, but in reality he had simply left in a taxi, a source told Ren TV, before crashing through the library window.
Under his visa, he was allowed to stay in Russia for up to six months, although it is not known when he entered the country or how his administrative arrest will be affected.
The man, identified locally as William Russell Nycum, has been placed under administrative arrest for 10 days following the incident at a Moscow children’s library.
William Russell Nycum will be detained for 10 days in Moscow (File image)
Under his visa, he was allowed to stay in Russia for up to six months, although it is not known when he entered the country or how his administrative arrest will be affected.
While his “petty vandalism” charge resulted in a 10-day sentence behind bars, his vandalism charge could result in even more prison time.
Under the Russian Penal Code, the offense can carry a fine of up to 40,000 rubles (£350), up to 360 hours of “compulsory work”, up to one year of “corrective work” or a three-month prison sentence. prison.
News of Nycum’s arrest comes after a U.S. soldier was detained in Russia over the weekend, according to U.S. officials.
Sergeant Gordon D. Black was detained on May 2 in Vladivostock, near the border with China and North Korea.
He was stationed in South Korea and traveled to Russia on his own, CBS News reported Monday.
It is unclear how Black traveled to Russia, but it was not on official Army business.
Black was apparently in the process of changing stations from Korea to Fort Hood in Texas.
The soldier is reportedly accused of robbing a woman.