Americans arrested in Turks and Caicos bunk, pray together while awaiting sentencings: 'A big family'
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.
Bryan Hagerich, 39, of Pennsylvania, Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma, and Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida have become unlikely friends — even a kind of family — after finding themselves stuck on the islands over what each of them described as a mistake.
"We're all a support system for one another. You know, it's a big family," Watson told Fox News Digital in a Thursday interview alongside Hagerich and Grier. Watson later described their trio as being "like two brothers and a sister."
Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia, and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas, were also arrested for having bullets in their bags. The five Americans, all arrested since February, each face a minimum 12-year prison sentence for possessing stray ammunition while visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). While each of their cases have slight differences, all five were arrested while traveling home after security detected the ammunition in their luggage.
On Friday, Hagerich will appear in court for his sentencing and a judge will determine if he must serve time in a TCI prison or if he can go home to his wife and two children.
"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 said during the Thursday interview. "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. So, we're optimistic that tomorrow goes well and I can return home. Now, that's not a given at this point, but I believe we've made a very, very strong case in my defense."
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.
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.
"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, Grief has never actually fired a gun in her life.
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.
When Grier was arrested last week, she said TCI authorities handcuffed her ankle to a chair. Watson and Hagerich had already been staying together in the same condo when they heard of Grier's arrest and invited her to come stay with them.
"It was important for her to have a room," Watson said. "After hearing her story and what she went through, being shackled to a chair and having to sleep on the floor … it's heartbreaking. And we wanted to make sure that she had a safe place, a nice, comfortable bed to sleep in and have some privacy. There was no question, and it was a blessing for us to be able to bring Sharitta into the picture because we're all … a support system for one another. It's become a big family."
Watson believes Hagerich's sentencing will give the other Americans detained in TCI "a point of reference" for potential judgments in their own cases.
"But I'm anxious for my brother. He's going before a judge tomorrow that's going to make a decision that will drastically impact his life moving forward," Watson said. "And I just pray fervently that it's for the best possible outcome."
Watson added that his son has been raising money to send Action Bibles, which he described as "comic book versions of the Bible," to the church that Watson, Hagerich and Grier have been attending in TCI. So far, they've delivered about 100 copies.
Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Guy 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 cruises 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.
"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."
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.
On Monday, a bipartisan congressional delegation visited TCI on Monday to ask government leaders to release the Americans detained for having stray ammo in their bags.
"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."
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."
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