Just Trying to Get Ahead
When Myrlene Severe, 30, returned to Florida from a vacation in Haiti, Customs officials looked in a bag she was carrying. Something looked back: a human skull for use in Vodou rituals. “It still had teeth, hair, and bits of skin and lots of dirt,” said a Miami spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Severe faces up to 15 years in prison on charges of smuggling, failure to declare the item, and transporting hazardous material. Her Haitian neighbors expressed surprise over the arrest. “It is pretty wild. I was shocked,” said one. “Not all Haitians do that,” said another, worried about stereotypes. “Religious beliefs, freedom...” said a passenger from her flight. “People get strange things in their heads.” (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) ...Such as teeth, hair, and bits of skin and lots of dirt.
Available in This is True: Book Collection Vol. 12