Trevor Reed back home in Texas one day after Russian prisoner swap
DALLAS - A Marine Corps veteran from North Texas who was released after more than 2 years in a Russian prison is back home in Texas.
Trevor Reed reunited with his family after touching down in San Antonio Thursday morning. A Texas congressman was also there and shared video online.
The White House brokered a prisoner exchange to bring Reed home.
RELATED: Russia releases Trevor Reed, US Marine vet from North Texas, as part of prisoner exchange
Video from Russian state media appeared to show the Marine veteran being escorted to a plane in Moscow.
Reed’s family, who lives in Granbury, has been fighting for his release for nearly three years.
They believe he has tuberculosis and say he was not receiving proper medical treatment.
In 2019, Russian authorities said he got drunk at a party and assaulted a police officer while detained. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Some U.S. officials have called the charges "bogus."
His family recently met with President Joe Biden, urging him to speed up negotiations to bring their son home.
Wednesday morning, they got the call they’d been waiting for.
Reed's parents finally got to embrace their son Thursday morning after nearly three years of fighting for his release. Paula Reed said it is the perfect Mother’s Day gift.
"When we got the call earlier in the week and they said something might be occurring. I said, ‘Am I going to have a good Mother’s Day?’ They said, ‘We can’t say, but yes.’ The perfect gift. Almost as good as the day he was born," she said.
"We’re so thankful for President Biden meeting with us and then taking this swift action after meeting with him. We believe that he probably saved our son’s life," said Joey Reed, his father.
Reed was exchanged for convicted drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko in Turkey Wednesday. Video showed the swap on an unidentified airport tarmac.
Yaroshenko was near the end of his 20-year sentence, while Reed was facing many more years of his sentence.
The Russian air pilot was serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the U.S.
Reed’s parents said they did talk to President Biden briefly on Wednesday, and he invited the family to the White House.
Congressman August Pfluger, who helped with the deal for Reed’s release, said the priority is making sure he is both physically and mentally healthy.
Thursday morning, Pfluger tweeted: "this is the moment we have all been praying for."
"It was overwhelming to see the joy on Paula and Joey Reed's face. To understand how hard they had worked, how tirelessly, they made every effort possible to bring their son home," Pfluger said.
Pfluger was on the tarmac for the family reunion after Reed spent 985 days imprisoned in Russia.
"It is a good news story in America. President Biden did the right thing. To realize a Marine is back on American soil, the country he loves, it was incredible. A joyous moment," he added.
With concerns Reed could be suffering from tuberculosis, everyone wore masks for the reunion.
"Good professionals at Army South do a wonderful job on reintegration, and they take every safety and health precaution," Rep. Pfluger said. "Their number one priority is to make sure Trevor Reed is okay right now."
Rep. Pfluger said Reed is now working with a reintegration team at U.S. Army South.
His parents said he will likely want to re-enroll in college this fall at the University of North Texas in Dallas.