SAN ANTONIO — Trevor Reed, the Texas native and U.S. Marine veteran who returned stateside after being detained in Russia since the summer of 2019, is being taken to a San Antonio military base, a source told our team Wednesday night.
According to that source, Reed's family was heading to the Alamo City from their north Texas home; it's possible he'll arrive sometime overnight. It's unknown exactly which base he'll be taken to, but it's likely he'll be hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center for treatment.
Reed's family said his health was deteriorating while in Russian custody, and believes he could have tuberculosis, adding he was coughing up blood.
His release was part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S., which returned a Russian pilot convicted of smuggling drugs. The exchange unfolded in Turkey.
Earlier on Wednesday, Reed's parents expressed gratitude in north Texas to President Joe Biden for negotiating the swap.
"Almost as good as the day he was born," Reed's mother told local media on Wednesday. "We know he's on the plane, but it's going to really hit us when we get to put our arms around him."
Governor Greg Abbott sent a Wednesday-morning tweet welcoming Reed home as the news was announced.
Reed was sentenced in 2020 to nine years behind bars in Russia. He was convicted by authorities there of assault charges while drunk, but has continuously denied the allegations. And the U.S. government has described him as “unjustly detained” over that time, while pressing for his release.