Athens Preacher Steven Carter Jailed in Jamaica After Bullet Found

ATHENS, Ga. - It was supposed to be a peaceful vacation for a 26-year-old preacher and his 22-year-old wife, but things tued for the worst when customs officials in Jamaica found a .22-caliber bullet in his bag.

Steven Carter, a youth minister at The Church at Southside in Athens, spent the night in jail with about a hundred others after that bullet was found in seams of his bag. His wife said he owned the bag most his life and does not own a gun. They are not sure how the bullet might have ended up in the bag.

Officials in Jamaica told Carter's wife that her husband will have to remain in jail until a hearing. That could take place on Friday, or as late as mid-June.

His wife is staying in Jamaica to help get her husband out of jail, while members of Steven Carter's church are calling congressmen, religious leaders, and missionaries, hoping to get Carter released.

Carter could face several years in prison on charges of terrorism and possession of illegal ammunition. The ammunition charge would carry only a fine, but the terrorism charge could put him away in prison for a minimum of seven years.