American tourist threatened with imprisonment in Turks and Caicos Islands for possession of ammunition released

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos — An American man who faced up to 12 years in prison on this Caribbean island for taking 20 rounds of ammunition on vacation was released after a court ruling Friday.

Bryan Hagerich was arrested in February while on vacation with his wife and two children. He pleaded guilty to carrying the bullets in his luggage and argued he should be released because of the time he has already served and his admission of guilt.

At Hagerich’s sentencing hearing at the country’s Supreme Court on the island of Providenciales, Judge Tanya Lobban Jackson sentenced him to “52 weeks but 12 months suspended,” meaning that He will not serve any prison time.

Jackson said he found exceptional circumstances for Hagerich and noted that he unwittingly brought the munitions to the island, the impact his arrest had on his daughter and that he had no criminal record.

The judge told Hagerich to “be more careful” and released him. The Hagerich family was emotional over the decision and was seen hugging and crying.

Hagerich, a former MLB rookie, will now return to his two children in Pennsylvania after making a payment of $6,700, which his lawyer said he was able to pay.

“It’s a huge relief,” Hagerich’s father told NBC News in the courtroom.

No cameras were allowed inside the court Friday.

After court, an emotional Hagerich told reporters he was “absolutely thrilled.”

“I can’t wait to get home. I have two kids who can’t wait to jump into our arms,” ​​he said, holding his wife’s hand.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for for 101 days and to experience this here — in eight short hours to be home and hug my kids — this is the best day,” Hagerich said.

Hagerich said his work would not be done until all the other Americans detained in the Turks and Caicos Islands, whom he called family, were released.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA., who met with Hagerich and other Americans detained this week on Turks and Caicos Island, said the decision was “great news.”

“When we met with TCI officials a few days ago, they made it clear that they wanted this situation resolved,” Fetterman said in a statement. “They recognized that Bryan and the other Americans detained were not gun dealers, they were just people who made a mistake. I am grateful that the judge recognized that the right thing to do was to fire Bryan his home.”

Fetterman said he hoped the British Overseas Territory would speed up the processing of the remaining cases of Americans detained there so they could also be reunited with their families.

Hagerich was the first of five American tourists to be sanctioned for bringing ammunition into the country, which is prohibited due to recent legislation that provides for a 12-year prison sentence for bringing weapons or ammunition not permitted in the country.

The other four defendants were nervously awaiting the outcome of Friday’s hearing, which could provide insight into how their cases might be handled.

All the tourists claim their accusations are the result of an honest mistake.

The last of the five is Sharitta Grier, a Florida grandmother who was arrested while on a Mother’s Day trip when airport staff found two bullets in her carry-on bag on May 13. His next court appearance is scheduled for July.

Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, who was arrested while on vacation celebrating his 40th birthday, will appear in court in June.

Watson said the ruling in the Hagerich case gave him hope.

“I pray I have the same opportunity to come home,” he told NBC News, adding that when he heard the judge’s decision in court, he thought, “I’m about to see maybe my children.”

“I know our cases are similar but they are not exactly the same, so that doesn’t guarantee my fate,” he said. “So I, you know, I just pray that I can come home soon.”

A group of U.S. lawmakers traveled to the Turks and Caicos Islands this week to try to secure their release.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a heated session of the House Appropriations Committee, in response to pointed criticism from Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., of his department’s handling of the issue, that his staff did everything they could.

“We have a State Department and extraordinary men and women working every day to bring arbitrarily detained Americans home to their families and loved ones,” he said.

Turks and Caicos Prime Minister Charles Washington Misick was unmoved by U.S. attempts to lobby for the tourists’ release, telling a session of the country’s legislature: “Judges can impose sentences imprisonment of less than 12 years and a fine that they consider just and equitable, in accordance with the sentencing guidelines in each case. »

“We are not targeting American citizens, or any other nationality,” he said.

However, Misick also said the relatively new 12-year sentence for possession of ammunition had never been imposed and could be overturned in “exceptional circumstances.”

The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas issued a travel warning regarding the Turks and Caicos Islands in September. The British Overseas Territory southeast of the Bahamas has strict penalties for gun possession.

Juliette Arcodia reported from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos; Patrick Smith reported from London.