American held in Nicaragua released MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- An American jailed in Nicaragua for nearly two years on drug charges was released and has left the country, a family spokesman said. A lawyer said Jason Puracal, serving a 22-year prison sentence for drug-related crimes, was one of a dozen inmates whose charges were vacated this week, CNN reported Friday. A judicial order for release was signed Wednesday, and Puracal, 35, was released Thursday and left Nicaragua Friday, a member of his defense team said. Wednesday's court action resulted from an appeal hearing during the summer, CNN said. In a telephone conversation with CNN in August, Puracal said he was innocent and imprisoned in a "hellhole." "I don't know the reason that I'm here," Puracal said then. That's been a mystery from the very beginning. Puracal, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, is married to a Nicaraguan and has a son. "The family is thrilled to hear the news that they are another huge step closer to bringing Jason home," family spokesman Eric Volz said. There is one thing we have known all along over the past two years: Jason is innocent. Volz didn't give the location of the reunion, citing safety concerns.