A Friday hearing for an American detained in Turks and Caicos after airport security found ammunition in his suitcase while he was heading home from a family vacation may set a precedent for three other Americans who are currently detained there.
Bryan Hagerich, a 39-year-old former pro baseball player and father of two from Pennsylvania, appeared in court in Turks and Caicos on Friday, when a judge said he must stay on the islands for another three weeks until his sentencing, at which point he will learn if he must serve the minimum sentence of 12 years for carrying ammo in his bag in the airport or if his case can be adjudicated.
“It was never my intent to come here with ammunition,” Hagerich told Fox News Digital. “It’s just a tragedy. The separation from my wife and family has just been catastrophic.”
Hagerich was initially arrested at the Providenciales International Airport in February after security found ammunition in his bag. Just before his flight home from a family vacation with his wife and two children, Hagerich heard his name called over the airport intercom for a random bag search.
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Security “tore” through his suitcase and found some stray hunting ammunition in a pocket inside Hagerich’s luggage that he said he had completely forgotten about.
“As time continued to pass, it was pretty apparent that I wouldn’t be boarding the flight,” the former baseball pro said.
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Now, Hagerich must argue that he was arrested under “exceptional circumstances,” which includes proving that he has no prior criminal record, he did not intend to bring ammunition into the airport and why a 12-year sentence would be overly excessive in his case.
He is slated to appear for his sentencing on May 29.
“We’ve hoped and prayed. We’ve presented a very strong case, but there are no guarantees,” Hagerich said. “This could be anywhere from the minimum of 12 years to … counting my time in prison already and paying a fine to return home.”
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He’d spend the next three and half months in Turks and Caicos awaiting hearings to have his case processed, reflecting on how to get help from local and federal officials and wondering whether his prolonged absence will have a developmental impact on his young children.
And he’s not the only American caught up in a legal nightmare thanks to a new mandate passed in February that subjects Turks and Caicos tourists to more than a decade of prison time for leaving the country with firearms or stray bullets in their bags.
Three other Americans are awaiting their own sentencing for the same issue. One of those Americans, 31-year-old Tyler Wenrich — a father of a 1-year-old son from Virginia — was allowed to go home last week after posting bail, his father told Fox News Digital. Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma, a father of two who was most recently arrested for unknowingly having ammo in his bag on April 12, remains on the island. Both men previously told Fox News Digital that they had the ammo in their bags from prior hunting trips.
Michael Lee Evans, 72, pleaded guilty to having ammunition in his bag on April 24, according to local news outlet the Turks & Caicos Sun. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 18.
The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas currently has a travel alert that says “[f]irearms, ammunition (including stray bullets), and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI),” adding that “TCI authorities strictly enforce all firearms-and-ammunition-related laws.”
“The penalty for traveling to TCI with a firearm, ammunition, or other weapon can result in a minimum custodial sentence of twelve (12) years,” the embassy states in the alert. “If you bring a firearm or ammunition into TCI, even inadvertently, we will not be able to secure your release from custody. You are subject to TCI laws and must follow local law enforcement procedures.”
An additional four Americans who were detained over the firearm/ammo law since it was enacted last year have also had their cases adjudicated and instead were ordered to pay fines. One American received an eight-month prison sentence.
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