Nightmare continues for five Americans facing jail in Turks and Caicos

The nightmare continues for five Americans facing 12 years in jail in Turks and Caicos after a US delegation failed to secure their release. 

Since February, five US tourists, all unknown to each other, have been detained in the territory and charged with possession of firearms after loose bullets were allegedly found in their luggage. 

Ryan Watson, Bryan Hagerich, Tyler Scott Wenrich and Sharitta Shinse Grier all remain trapped on the island, while Michael Lee Evans was bailed and allowed to fly back to the US as he has a serious medical condition. 

They claim they didn’t know any bullets were in their bags – saying they could have been left there after hunting trips or by mistake – and have asked for mercy. 

But a delegation of two US senators, three members of the House and embassy and state department representatives were ‘not able to find a path forward’ to secure their release, meaning they are still facing 12 years in prison. 

Monday’s delegation was hoping to bring the Americans home, but Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told the Miami Herald: ‘Despite our willingness to work with Turks and Caicos officials to get our constituents home, we were not able to find a path forward today.’

He added: ‘We went in respectful of their sovereignty, and with an open mind looking to find common ground.

‘At this point, well-intentioned American citizens are facing a dozen years in prison all for unknowingly having one or two bullets in their luggage. 

‘The unintended consequences of TCI’s law have been at the expense of well-intentioned American tourists, including a grandmother, who had no intention of breaking the law.’

If the tourists are not released and are jailed, Mullin said: ‘We will need to consider additional actions to safeguard American citizens.’

Following the meeting the Turks and Caicos Governor’s Office said the government has ‘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.’ 

They added: ‘Where the court finds there are exceptional circumstances, the sentencing judge does have discretion, under the law, to impose a custodial sentence and a fine that are fair and just in the circumstances of each case.’ 

The territory tightened their gun laws two years ago and banned civilian firearms or ammunition. Under the stricter rules, offenders are sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison.   

Sharitta Shinese Grier, 45, was the fifth tourist to be arrested last Monday at the Howard Hamilton International Airport, with Turks and Caicos police saying bullets were found ‘during a routine security check.’ 

It is latest in a spate of arrests made on the island since February which have seen four others now facing charges after they were caught carrying ammo in their luggage. 

Willie Lucas, Grier’s mother said it was heartbreaking to leave her daughter behind on the island while the rest of the family returned home to Florida. 

‘I didn’t want to come home,’ she told Fox 35. ‘Be safe when you go out of town. Just be safe. Be careful and keep us in your prayers, cuz God knows we sure gonna need it.’ 

Chanchy Willis, Grier’s cousin has said it was ‘just a horrible mistake’ that the ammunition was found. 

‘Just for two bullets? It was just a horrible mistake for all five of them ,’ Willis said.

Grier posted bail and is now living in a rental property on the island alongside other Americans who have been apprehended. None are allowed to leave the island. 

She will appear before a judge on July 5. 

None of the men who have been arrested Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania, Tyler Wenrich of Virginia, and Michael Lee Evans of Texas, are connected in any way. 

‘Watching the others and how they are close-knit, and reaching out to her, showing her that she’s not alone, they are all in this together, that brings joy to my heart,’ Willis said. 

Evans, 72, was granted $20,000 bail and given permission to return back to the U.S due to a medical condition, with reports indicating he is suffering from terminal cancer.  

Wenrich has been in Turks and Caicos since April 20. He was granted bail and is staying with his father. He awaits a hearing this week where the judge may issue a sentence on the same day, News Nation reports. 

‘We’ll hear some news one moment, and it lifts your spirits a little bit. Then, the next moment, they just come crashing down on something else. So, it is a wicked roller coaster of a ride right now because emotions go up, and the motion has come down,’ Michael Wenrich said. 

‘We really don’t know how this is going to play out, because if we look at past cases, they’re all different on the result.’ 

Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma, said that his family is in the dark about his fate, and ‘we can’t set any kind of expectations on when I can be home to those kids.’ 

‘To not be with my kids, to not be home with Valerie right now, it’s the most awful thing that I have ever lived through at this point,’ he said during an interview last month.

He said getting back to his children is ‘and always will be, my ultimate goal.’ 

Watson has remained on the islands for almost a month as he faces a June 7 court date.

At one point his wife Valerie also faced prison before her charges were dropped.

A small bag of bullets in a ziplock bag were found in Ryan’s luggage, triggering questions as to how American TSA missed them when he left for the vacation through Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma. 

‘We had no intentions of ever bringing anything into this country. It was just trying to pack board shorts and flip-flops, and that was all we were concerned about bringing,’ Watson told Fox News. 

Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania, was about to head back home to the U.S. and insists he had no intention of bringing ammo to the islands.

He said being away from his family has been difficult.

‘As a father, it’s my responsibility to provide for my family, to protect my family, to support them in every way imaginable. And for me it’s just been catastrophic,’ he said. 

Bryan has since missed both of his children’s birthdays, and said he is terrified of the prospect of missing their childhoods if he is sentenced to the full 12-year term.

Each of those arrested could potentially face up to 12 years in prison. 

‘Twelve years is a long time, and all those special things you look forward to as a parent, knowing you potentially couldn’t be there for those, that’s what keeps me up at night,’ he said.

‘It never dawned on us to research any of these things. And there are a lot of locals that have been just such a blessing and have had such gracious hearts.’

The detainees must now argue before the TCI Superior Court they were arrested under ‘exceptional circumstances,’ which includes proving they have no prior criminal record, they did not intend to bring ammunition into the airport and why a 12-year sentence would be excessive in their cases.