PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) _ Ten Americans detained in Haiti for trying to take 33 children out of the country after the earthquake have been charged with child kidnapping, according to their Haitian lawyer. Edwin Coq (KOHK) attended Thursday’s hearing and has represented the entire group in Haiti. The Baptist missionaries were arrested last Friday at Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic. Coq said a judge will consider the evidence and reach a verdict, a process that could take months.

Each kidnapping count carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Coq said nine of the 10 Americans — all except mission leader Laura Silsby — knew nothing about the alleged scheme, or that paperwork for the children was not in order.
The State Department says it’s open to discussing “other legal avenues” for the defendants. Haiti’s prime minister has suggested the 10 could be sent back to the U.S. for prosecution.