This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Venezuela's chief prosecutor requested a conditional release for a Utah man and his wife, who have been detained in the country for more than a year.

If a judge approves the request, Josh Holt and Thamara Candelo would be on house arrest in Venezuela, awaiting a trial, according to Holt's lawyer, Carlos Trujillo.

"We are very hopeful for this new development, and we look forward to this actually taking place," Trujillo said, relaying a statement from Holt's family.

Sen. Orrin Hatch's office is communicating with Holt's family, as well as the State Department, according to a statement from Matt Whitlock, spokesman for the Republican senator from Utah.

The Riverton native was arrested June 30, 2016, on an accusation of possessing illegal weapons. He had traveled to Venezuela to marry Candelo, whom he met online while looking for someone to practice Spanish with. He had learned the language while serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington state.

The couple married on June 16, 2016, and planned to return to Utah once Caleno obtained a visa, but they were arrested on accusations that Holt was a spy and had a gun and grenade in Caleno's apartment.

Holt's preliminary hearing has been rescheduled five times in the past year, according to Trujillo, and has yet to be scheduled a sixth because of unrest and protests in the country.

Holt's parents recently called on the United States government to increase pressure on Venezuela for their son's release after he fell 6 to 8 feet from his bunk and suffered a concussion and a possible back fracture on July 3, according to his family.

tfrandsen@sltrib.com

Twitter: @Tiffany_mf