Husband Arrested in Bahamas Case Says He Fell Into the Ocean While in Police Custody and Handcuffs

The husband who was arrested in connection with his wife’s disappearance in the Bahamas says he fell into the ocean in police custody while in handcuffs.

Brian Hooker was taken into custody for questioning days after his wife, Lynette, went overboard while on a dinghy with her husband, according to authorities in the Bahamas.

Lynette and Brian were on the dinghy, heading to Elbow Cay in the Bahamas from Hope Town on April 4 when authorities say she “reportedly fell overboard” with the boat keys.

Brian has not been charged with a crime and his attorney, Terrel A. Butler, previously told that her client “categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing.”

In a new statement, Butler says she has requested medical treatment for Brian, claiming he was injured after his arrest.

According to Butler, Brian was taken, in handcuffs, out to his boat so police could conduct a search.

“Despite the choppy and dangerous sea conditions, he was kept in handcuffs,” Butler says in the statement. “While attempting to move sideways across the wet, unstable flooring of the boat to maintain his balance—with a bundle of clothes in his restricted hands—he lost his footing and fell overboard.”

“He was submerged in the cold water and took in a significant amount of seawater before his life jacket brought him to the surface,” the statement continues. “He had to be rescued from the water by the police.”

As a result, Butler says Brian sustained an injury to his knee, causing him to limp.

Butler also says that Brian “appears completely heartbroken and deeply distressed” by the disappearance of his wife.

Prior to his arrest, Brian said on Facebook that “unpredictable seas and high winds” caused Lynette to fall from the dinghy.

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart,” he wrote. “We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.”