Months After Jail Ordeal, Scott McClung Has New Role

Weak, tired and suffering the effects of enduring 39 days of captivity in Mexico on weapons charges, Scott McClung arrived home three months ago seeking to resume the life of a charter boat captain.

Since then, McClung has taken on a new role: media darling.

The Newport Beach man has been interviewed by numerous newspaper reporters and was featured on television’s “Inside Edition” and the Rev. Robert H. Schuller’s “Hour of Power.” Even NBC’s “Dateline” has shown an interest.

There is also talk of a book about his odyssey, said McClung’s attorney, Bill Bollard, who recently negotiated a contract with an agent.

McClung, 36, also has found time for diplomacy, having made two trips to Mexico City for talks with top-level officials about the role of Cozumel prosecutor Claudio Sanchez, who charged McClung with weapons violations after allegedly asking for a $10,000 bribe to keep him out of prison.

McClung says he’s happiest steering his boat, the Newport Beach-based Rapture, to open water with a full load of schoolchildren.

McClung and his father, Eugene, 71, of Laguna Beach, along with first mate Noah Bailey, 31, of Dana Point, were arrested Aug. 10 by Mexican officials in Cozumel after two AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and three shotguns were found on his $4.5-million boat.

The McClungs said they declared the weapons immediately after they were boarded by Mexican authorities. Eugene McClung and Bailey were released after nine days in custody, but Scott McClung was ordered to stand trial.

McClung argued that he had the weapons for protection against pirates in the Caribbean.

He was detained in a clinic after collapsing in court until a judge ordered his release Sept. 18.

Winning his freedom was expensive. The McClungs hired attorneys both in Mexico and California and had to pay for a private clinic, guards and other expenses. The toll was more than $400,000, said Eugene McClung, “and that doesn’t account for the money the Rapture lost on charter business while Scott was detained.”

The family hopes to recoup its losses with youth trips and harbor cruises.

“We’ve already had five expeditions taking kids on three-day trips to Catalina,” Scott McClung said of his company, Marine Expeditions. “They just love it. We get out there and I dive at night with a camera and we have a live video link right to the boat. We see eels, octopus and lobsters, and [the link] allows me to tell the students what they’re looking at, and they can talk to me too.”

Those who know him best say McClung has regained his health and optimism, and has put on weight.

“He definitely has gained weight and, in fact, he’s now trying to lose some,” his father said. “But I think he’s still suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. He had trouble sleeping for a long time, but it’s getting better.”

His arrest and detention became an international controversy after McClung’s lawyers accused prosecutor Sanchez of seeking a bribe. Sanchez has denied the allegations, but his role in McClung’s case is under investigation by Mexico’s attorney general.

On two occasions, McClung met with Mexican Atty. Gen. Jorge Madraso; the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Jeffrey Davidow; and officials from the President’s National Commission on Human Rights to discuss his treatment at the hands of Mexican authorities.

“I was very, very impressed with all their interests and sincerity,” McClung said. “The Mexican officials had an interest in prosecuting Claudio Sanchez, and they appreciated my cooperation.”

Sanchez could not be reached for comment.

McClung is still trying to recover his guns. His attorney has filed legal documents and has gotten word that the weapons, including an older shotgun that has sentimental family value, could be released as early as January.

But returning to claim them in the Cozumel area, McClung believes, is “still too dangerous” with the same prosecutor in the area, despite reports in Cancun newspapers that Sanchez has been suspended from office.

“We’re still definitely waiting for justice to be done,” McClung said. “From the meetings that we’ve had, we feel they want to do the right thing. But it’s a slow process.”