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Proposal Gone Bad

Updated: Tuesday, February 19 2013, 09:14 PM EST

"It's a great story to tell," says Laura Yearout of Weaverville.

She's talking about the marriage proposal that had more twists and turns than a Hollywood production.

Fiance' Ryan Houston thought he had it all planned out. He set up a romantic getaway in Cozumel that went south in a hurry.

"I planned taking the ring out there and proposing," Houston says.

But long before he could pop the question, Ryan became disenchanted with the bad service. Then, he realized this yacht was way too close to his table. After untying the boat and pushing it away, he unfurled a mess of trouble.

Mexican cops showed up, investigating a claim that Ryan damaged the yacht.
   
"He asks me how much money I had to get out of this situation, while he's got a machine gun pointed at me," Ryan says about an officer at the scene. Oh, it gets worse.

Houston tells his girlfriend to grab something out of his pocket before he's hauled away in handcuffs.

"She felt the ring, she jerked on it and I heard her screech," he recalls. "It flipped out of her fingers and flipped into the ocean."
  
"I was flipping out," says Laura. "I was making a scene it was very emotional."

Mexican police later turned Ryan loose, but the bling was still underwater. So Houston put on his scuba gear and searched for two hours in the dark.

Finally, some good news when he found the rock.

"Went over dripping wet and I proposed to her in my wet suit," recalls Houston. Thankfully, she said yes.

Now, the North Buncombe high school sweethearts have quite a memory.
 
They're getting hitched in July. The Cozumel resort has offered them a couple of weeks stay so they might even get married there.

Ryan says the story's crazy, but a little long. So he offers to email anyone who's interested in this whale of a tale.   

"We usually get the same response, it's OMG!"

By John Le
Follow John on Twitter @AbsoluteLe