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Welcome Home Party Held For Raleigh Woman Jailed In Honduras

RALEIGH, N.C. (CBSNews) —  Friends and family celebrated in Raleigh Saturday (Aug. 12) night after a woman jailed in Honduras returned home to the Triangle. Man...
honduras

RALEIGH, N.C. (CBSNews) —  Friends and family celebrated in Raleigh Saturday (Aug. 12) night after a woman jailed in Honduras returned home to the Triangle.

Mandy Laroque is back in Raleigh. The Raleigh bar owner was jailed in Honduras when authorities found what they thought was cocaine in a “can-safe.”

Welcome Home Party Held For Raleigh Woman Jailed In Honduras

Charges were dismissed for Laroque and she flew back home to the triangle early Thursday (Aug. 10) morning

Her family and friends threw a party to welcome her home at the bar Laroque owns, the Goat.

Welcome Home Party Held For Raleigh Woman Jailed In Honduras

The bar is a place she says she wasn’t sure she would see again.

“Not only was I scared, I knew I was innocent and didn’t have faith in the system,” said Laroque.

Now she’s back at her bar for the first time; surrounded by family, friends and even some strangers moved by her story.

“It feels like home. It’s comforting to know all these people have come out to see me,” said Laroque.

For many, this is the best outcome they could have hoped for.

“It was like the end of a nightmare this whole thing has been such a horror,” said Barbara Levy, Laroque’s mom.

Levy welcomed her daughter home early Thursday morning. But for the people who couldn’t be at the airport, Levy wanted to give them a chance to celebrate with her daughter.

“There are some friends here she has not seen in a long time,” said Levy.

Laroque says it’s been as long as decades for some of them, and she couldn’t be happier to see them now.

She says the support she’s felt during the last two weeks is what’s helped her get through this nightmare.

Laroque says they’re still fighting. She just found out the district attorney is appealing the case.

But Laroque says she’s confident justice will be served.

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