Weary McClung Hopes He Will Be Coming Home Soon

Stressed and tired of his confinement, Scott McClung, the Laguna Beach boat captain arrested here last month on weapons violations, on Wednesday spoke cautiously about winning his freedom, possibly in the next couple of days.

“It’s just the constant fear of not knowing which way this could go that has been looming over my head all this time,” McClung said in an interview from a clinic where he has been held in custody by Mexican authorities.

“I’m just trying to keep my mind busy,” McClung, 36, said. “I’ve always been known as having steady hands. But since this ordeal started my hands have not stopped trembling for five weeks now.”

McClung, his father, Eugene McClung, also of Laguna Beach, and first mate Noah Bailey of Dana Point were arrested Aug. 10 in Cozumel, an island off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, after officials found two AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and three shotguns on the 145-foot vessel, the Rapture.

Eugene McClung and Bailey were later released, but Scott McClung was ordered to stand trial on weapons charges. Seven others on board were not arrested.

Scott McClung said confinement has been difficult and that he avoids “panic attacks” by reading the Bible and doing some light exercise. He was sent to the clinic after collapsing in a courthouse shortly after he was ordered to stand trial and was under observation for heart problems. His lawyers have waged a constant legal battle in Mexico maintaining their client is innocent of the charges and alleging that the prosecutor in the case sought a $10,000 bribe.

The prosecutor, Claudio Sanchez, argued that McClung made no declaration of weapons aboard the ship, which was on its maiden voyage when it docked in Cozumel because of engine trouble.

But this week, Sanchez was summoned by the Mexican attorney general to answer questions about his role in McClung’s case and to respond to the allegations.

William Bollard, one of McClung’s attorneys, said he and McClung’s family were excited about recent developments in the case.

Bollard said Mexican officials may drop charges because an investigation has found some irregularities in the arrest and detention of McClung, who also has received help from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and Mexico’s attorney general and support from McClung’s friends in Southern California.

Today, Bollard will visit a federal judge in Cancun and urge that McClung be freed.

The case was transferred from a judge in Cozumel to another court in Cancun for trial.

Bollard said there had been some “legal irregularities” in the case, but he declined to elaborate.

Lawyers for Scott McClung also have argued that he was told to carry the weapons for protection against pirates who prey on boats in the Caribbean.

McClung’s father said in Cozumel that the developments in the case have given him and his son reason for hope.

“Maybe when this is all over, we all will have a chance to get a decent night’s sleep,” the father said.

Offers of support have come in from throughout Southern California, including students from Mariners Christian School in Costa Mesa. Students there wrote letters to Mexican officials in support of McClung.

Bollard said that Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) has made a private jet owned by friends available to fly McClung from Cozumel once he wins his release.

But McClung has told his father that he wishes instead to rejoin the Rapture, now located in Costa Rica on the Pacific Ocean, and will sail the ship into Newport Beach.

McClung’s father said a legal defense fund has been set up to accept tax-deductible donations. Those wishing to donate can send funds to the Captain Scott McClung Legal Defense Fund, in care of Certified Marine Expeditions, P.O. Box 15157, Newport Beach, CA 92663.