Three Americans detained in Turks and Caicos ‘support each other’ after arrests over ammo
Three of five Americans arrested and detained in Turks and Caicos since February for having stray ammunition in their luggage are bunking together as they await their fate on the islands.
A Turks and Caicos judge on Friday morning issued a suspended 52-month sentence to Bryan Hagerich, a Pennsylvania dad of two and former pro baseball player who pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition on the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
Hagerich, 39, is one of five Americans arrested and detained on the islands since February for having stray ammunition in their luggage, a crime punishable by up to 12 years in TCI. The other Americans include Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma; Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida; Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia; and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas.
"He will be released shortly," Hagerich's spokesperson, Jonathan Franks, said in a Friday tweet.
Hagerich was also ordered to pay a $6,500 fine.
Bryan Hagerich and his wife, Ashley Hagerich board a plane in Turks and Caicos, Friday, May 24, 2024, bound for the United States. (LUCID Strategies)
"From the day that I was arrested, the end goal was to get off the island and go home to my family. To think that that day is potentially tomorrow, it's every emotion under the sun," Hagerich told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "There's obviously a lot of anxiety. There [are] a lot of prayers… from families, friends, folks we don't even know across the world right now, to hopefully bring that outcome."
He added that he and his attorneys "made a very, very strong case" in his defense after he pleaded guilty.
Several politicians applauded the judge's decision on Friday. Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey said Hagerich's suspended sentence is "great news" in a Friday post on X.
"I’m grateful that the authorities in Turks and Caicos exercised leniency and that Bryan Hagerich will soon be on his way home to his family in Somerset," Casey wrote.
Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Guy Reschenthaler said that while he is "overjoyed to see Bryan Hagerich will be returning to Pennsylvania and reuniting with his wife and two children, this terrifying situation should have never happened to him, or the four other Americans still awaiting sentencing."
"As the Turks and Caicos government works to handle future cases, the British territory must ensure the safety and wellbeing of U.S. tourists. I won’t rest until Americans can once again set foot on their islands without putting their livelihoods at risk," the congressman said.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., also cheered the "great news."
Bryan Hagerich, Sharitta Grier and Ryan Watson say their days have been occupied by strategizing their cases to try and get home as soon as possible, making media appearances, calling politicians and cooking. (handout)
"When we met with TCI officials a few days ago, they made clear that they wanted this situation resolved. They recognized that Bryan and the other detained Americans are not gunrunners — they are just people who made a mistake," Fetterman said. "I am grateful that the judge recognized that the right thing to do was to send Bryan home. I'm also grateful to the U.S. State Department, which has been a critical partner in bringing Bryan home. I'm hopeful that TCI expedites the rest of these cases and that the other detained Americans will soon be released and reunited with their families as well."
Hagerich, Watson and Grier have been living in the same condo as they await their respective fates on the island.
"We're all a support system for one another. You know, it's a big family," Watson said. He later described their trio as being "like two brothers and a sister."
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Bryan Hagerich spent three-and-a-half months in Turks and Caicos while waiting for his case to be processed. (Hagerich family handout)
While each of their cases have slight differences, all five were arrested while traveling home after security detected the ammunition in their luggage.
Hagerich had stray ammo from a previous hunting trip in one of the compartments of a large suitcase his family had loaded their belongings into for a family vacation.
"I never in a million years thought I'd be in Turks and Caicos for over 100 days for a simple mistake," Hagerich said.
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Watson had stray ammo, also left over from a hunting trip, in the lining of his carry-on bag. Grier had stray bullets in the lining of her bag after she recently purchased a firearm for her own protection. She told Fox News Digital that her brother owns a store that she sometimes closes at night and wanted a firearm in case of an emergency.
Five Americans have been arrested in Turks and Caicos since February for carrying ammo in airports on the island. From left, Michael Lee Evans (no photo), Bryan Hagerich, Tyler Wenrich, Ryan Watson and Sharitta Grier. (Turks and Caicos Police/ Dimitrios Kambouris )
"No intention to hurt anybody or anything. … I'm afraid of it myself. It's nothing to play around with," Grier said, adding that she "had no other reason" to own a gun other than for her own protection while closing her brother's store.
In fact, Grier has never fired a gun in her life.
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Wenrich has similarly told Fox News Digital that he had no intention of bringing bullets onto the islands and had no idea he had two bullets in his travel backpack until security found them.
Ryan Watson, left, and Bryan Hagerich are seen cooking at their apartment in Turks and Caicos. (Hagerich family handout)
Reschenthaler told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he is pushing the State Department to issue a no-travel order to TCI, which would prevent cruise ships from docking on the islands and also prevent people from purchasing traveler's insurance.
The congressman is also looking at implementing a tariff on U.S. imports to TCI or issuing no-travel orders from specific states, noting that most Americans who travel to the islands come from Texas, Florida and Virginia.
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"Their economy is overwhelmingly based on tourism, well over 70%. And of the tourists, 86% are American," Reschenthaler said. "So, all we have to do is issue a do-not-travel [order] and overnight crash their economy. And hopefully we can get the Americans released, and we would force Turks and Caicos to change this law."
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he is pushing the State Department to issue a no-travel order to TCI. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)
He added that the "draconian" law treats Americans with stray ammo "as if they're some kind of weapons smuggler or gun runner."
"None of them had a firearm, by the way. They had these rounds of ammunition just left haphazardly and accidentally in carry-on duffel bags," the congressman noted.
A bipartisan congressional delegation visited TCI on Monday to ask government leaders to release the Americans detained for having stray ammo in their bags.
A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation visited TCI officials on Monday to discuss the arrests of five Americans over an ammunition possession law. (TCI Governor's Office)
"The U.S. delegation raised five cases of U.S. nationals currently before the courts, concern for their well-being and clarification on the legal process," the TCI Governor's Office said in a Monday statement. "In order to maintain the integrity of the legal process, the Governor confirmed it would not be appropriate to facilitate the delegation’s request to meet with the Chief Justice."
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The governor and the premier also said "they cannot intervene nor comment on ongoing legal cases before the courts," the statement continued. "They explained that the Turks and Caicos Islands have clear laws prohibiting the possession of firearms and/or ammunition and strict penalties are in place to serve and protect all who reside and visit the Turks and Caicos Islands."
