Nepal

Palo Alto Man Held in Nepal Jail

A Palo Alto man has been held in a Kathmandu jail for six weeks after being arrested while on a charity work trip in Nepal.

Wolf Price spent the last 12 years in the South Asian country doing charity work, helping Nepalese women and girls pursue an education and find work, through his foundation Beyond The Four Walls.

"He has always wanted to help people and he has a very pure heart," said mother Mary Bartnikowski, who has been fighting to get him out.

On April 4, Bartnikowski says Price tried to break up a fight between a teenage boy and the boy's sister and when police arrived, the teen told them that Price was beating him up.

"They arrested him and searched his house. It was completely against the law to do that," she said. "He has been held for all this time with no charges because they have no evidence so right now, they’re trying to create a charge."

His mother says she has only spoken to him four times in the last six weeks, and that is thanks to a friend who is in Nepal and visits Price every day.

"You’re guilty until proven innocent and that’s why it’s a dangerous place," Bartnikowski said. "He sleeps in a room on the floor, no bed, with 100 men."

Price graduated from Palo Alto High School, and according to his mother, has dedicated his life to helping.

"He started spending his own money at first to send girls to school and to get computers for them," said Bartnikowski.

She said she hired a lawyer in Nepal to take her son’s case after she tried to get the American Embassy to help, but couldn’t.

"This could all go away with the right kind of pressure on the government," Bartnikowski said.

In the meantime, she has created a GoFundMe page to collect money for her son’s legal fees.

"Here’s this innocent person that’s being treated like a criminal and I don’t feel that enough is being done to get him out," Bartnikowski said.

Mary says she contacted Senator Diane Feinstein’s office for help but they couldn't help her. She is hoping another senator or person of influence can.

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