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Josh Holt’s friends, neighbors ecstatic to welcome Utahn home from years in Venezuelan prison

Related Topics: Haaretz, Venezuela, Prison, Utah, Friendship, Year

Riverton • Lori Heaton bought yellow tablecloths to cut into ribbons right after hearing that Holt, her neighbor, was coming home after spending nearly two years in a Venezuelan prison.

“I ran over to the dollar store this morning,” she said. “I thought I should get there before they’re all sold out.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch announced Holt’s release early Saturday. Holt traveled in Venezuela in 2016 to marry a woman he met online while looking for a Spanish-language practice partner. Shortly after he married Thamara “Thamy” Caleno, Venezuelan authorities arrested the couple at Caleno’s home on accusations that they were stockpiling weapons of war.