An American man who was arrested in Fukuoka for allegedly abducting his children in order to regain custody has been released from jail, police said Thursday.
Christopher Savoie, 38, a Tennessee native, had been accused of taking his two children, aged 6 and 8, from his Japanese ex-wife late last month. He allegedly took them as they were walking to school and was arrested on his way to the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka.
Kiyonori Tanaka, a police officer at Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, said prosecutors had made the decision and police are not in a position to comment on it. He said that in general, someone arrested could be freed from jail when there is no flight risk or fear of destruction of evidence, or if prosecutors decide not to press charges.