US raises concerns to Venezuela about jailed Utah man, Joshua Holt

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry raised concerns during a recent meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro about a Utah man jailed in the South American country for three months.

State Department spokesman John Kirby would not provide details about the conversation but said Wednesday that Kerry called on Venezuela to respect due process and human rights in the case of 24-year-old Joshua Holt.

Kerry’s involvement has raised hopes for Holt’s mother and members of Utah’s congressional delegation trying to help.

Holt traveled to Venezuela this summer to marry a fellow Mormon he met online.

He was jailed on June 30 on suspicion of weapons charges. Authorities say he was stockpiling weapons in his wife’s Caracas apartment.

His mother, Laurie Holt, says he’s innocent and that the weapons were planted.