Man arrives home after imprisioned in South Sudan - News Banner

  “Who’s coming home,” asked a by-passer who was walking out of a terminal at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport while observing a parade of media presence and multiple glittered signs reading—“Friend,” “Son,” “Brother,” “Uncle,” “Daddy,” “Paw Paw,” “Mark,” “We Love U” and “Welcome Home.”

Slidell resident Elton Mark McCabe, 52, had been on the African continent within the Republic of South Sudan since Aug. 8.

Reporters from numerous news agencies met with his immediate family at Concourse D on the second floor of the New Orleans Airport Monday night around 5 p.m., his anticipated arrival home. All had been fascinated by Mark McCabe’s journey across the Atlantic Ocean, his reasons for arriving in South Sudan, his unjustified imprisonment, his almost two-month detainment, the family’s struggle and political fight back home and finally the man’s release on Dec. 5.

“Feeling of excitement. I can’t wait to see his face so that I know he’s really here,” said Mark McCabe’s mother-in-law Peggy Bennett. “It was really hard for the family cause he was the breadwinner. Since his massive heart attack in 2011 they’ve been struggling. We help out as much as we can but we’re retired.”

Meanwhile, around 3:30 p.m. the Slidell Police Department including three units, hit the blue and red lights of their patrol cars as they sped across the Twin Span Bridge headed west. Between the units was a limousine donated for the night by Vic Planetta Sr. and VIP World Wide Limousine Service. It sheltered Mark McCabe’s immediate family, including his wife Anne who has fought vigorously for her husband’s release since day one.

According to Slidell Chief of Police Randy Smith, he grew up with Mark McCabe’s brother “Matt” and when he heard what had happened he vowed to help.

“Mark, being a longtime Slidell resident, I was very concerned when I heard about it and decided I needed to do my part in helping bring him home safely from South Sudan,” Smith said. “I will go to extreme measures to keep my Slidell residents safe wherever they may be.”

Smith says both he and Anne McCabe have been in touch with high up officials about the matter and the man who deserves accolades for efforts involving Mark McCabe’s case is Sen. David Vitter, R-La., he said.

The family remained faithful throughout the entire process, Smith said. Anne McCabe says she always knew her husband would come home after being afforded due process. Once she saw her husband being walked down the terminal by Smith, she couldn’t wait any longer. She lashed across security lines out of instinct and stopped for a moment as she remembered most people are checked before crossing such boundaries. But boundaries had already been crossed and she couldn’t wait any longer. Not only his wife, but also his daughters Whitney and Danielle, his mother and father-in-law Peggy and Don Bennett, Tabatha McCabe and her two daughters Isabella and Marchella, a long time friend Sandy Olsen and his 2-year-old granddaughter Delaney Hebert, greeted McCabe. His son Christian had been working a nautical job with Florida Marine in order to keep up with the family’s piling bills and was not able to see his father’s first steps back on American soil.

McCabe briefly addressed the media after kissing his wife who had shed obvious tears of joy.

His first words to the press were: “Are you sure we’re not in Africa still?”

“I didn’t think this day would ever come. God bless America,” McCabe said.

McCabe was arrested by South Sudanese national security in October. He had traveled to the Republic in order to seek business opportunities after being unable to find work locally in Slidell. Mark McCabe would eventually attend a business summit in South Sudan after a business partner told him it was like “the gold rush” over there. According to his wife, Mark McCabe was getting ready to start up an Internet company when he was arrested. Details of his line of work and business involvement overseas are not quite clear at this point. Mark McCabe was charged with being in connection with the kidnapping of an Indian businessman but a South Sudanese judge later dropped the charges. While in prison he suffered a mild heart attack. As his health was deteriorating everyday Vitter sent letters to South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit demanding that Mark McCabe be provided due process, the rights of international law and be given his humanitarian rights.

“I don’t know Mr. Vitter but I’m going to shake his hand when I meet him. I heard he fought for my family and me,” said Mark McCabe while being interviewed Monday night. “Thank you everyone.”

“I’m on American soil,” he added with a smile.

“What were you thinking about when you were over there,” a reporter asked Mark McCabe. “You mean in prison? Getting the hell out of there,” he said. “I mean it was rough. I went to four different prisons. I met a lot of bad people. I kept my faith, kept my beliefs. I knew my wife was fighting for me; I knew I would be home and here I am.”

Mark McCabe said the first thing he’d do once back home would be to eat a shrimp po-boy.

“Yeah he looks the same, just a bit older…a bit of wear and tear,” Peggy Bennett said.

The ecstatic mother-in-law said she’d be cooking a Thanksgiving meal for Mark McCabe on Tuesday since he went to trial Nov. 22.

“I’ll be cooking all his favorite dishes,” she said.

Anne McCabe also says her husband missed their 25th wedding anniversary this year while being imprisoned in South Sudan.

A trust fund has been set up at Chase Bank under the title “Elton Mark McCabe Trust.” Anyone can donate by calling 646-3500. According to the McCabe family, bills have become heavy while Mark McCabe had no income and medical bills are in the future since the man’s health declined in South Sudan. He’s lost 20-30 pounds, Anne McCabe said.