The first of several Americans recently charged with possession of ammunition in Turks and Caicos was heading home Friday after getting a suspended 52-week sentence and a $6,700 fine, his representatives said. <\/p>\n
But four other Americans still await their fate. In recent months, all were arrested and accused of bringing in various amounts of ammunition to the 40-island chain southeast of the Bahamas. In the Turks and Caicos, possession of firearms or ammunition carries a minimum 12-year sentence, though the law allows reduced sentences under \u201cexceptional circumstances,\u201d the local governor said. <\/p>\n
Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania had pleaded guilty to the charge, the Turks and Caicos government said. <\/p>\n
Hagerich was allowed to leave the British Overseas Territory and return to the United States once he paid the fine, Smith said. He would have to serve the full 12-month sentence if the fine was not paid. <\/p>\n
Hagerich flew back to the US Friday afternoon, according to Johnathan Franks, a spokesperson for the Bring Our Families Home Campaign. The organization helps wrongfully detained Americans secure release. <\/p>\n
\u201cVery grateful to the Court for giving two very special kids their dad back. Even more grateful to the numerous (Turks and Caicos Islands) nationals who helped along the way,\u201d Franks posted to X along with a picture of Hagerich boarding a plane. <\/p>\n
Smith said his client was \u201cpleased, he\u2019s relieved\u201d by the outcome. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe sentence, in all its circumstances, is reasonable and fair,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n
After Hagerich\u2019s sentencing, Turks and Caicos Premier Washington Misick said justice \u201chas been served as the law intended.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cAs we have said, The Firearms Act includes consideration for exceptional circumstances,\u201d Misick said, \u201cand today\u2019s decision reflects our commitment to judicial independence along with upholding the law. Residents and visitors can be confident that the Turks and Caicos Islands are dedicated to safety and compassion as we protect the safety and rights of all.\u201d <\/p>\n
The four other Americans charged have been released on bail while they await their court dates, Misick\u2019s office said in a statement. One was allowed to return to the US for medical reasons, and the rest are staying in Turks and Caicos. <\/p>\n
A US congressional delegation traveled to the islands this week and asked for charges to be dropped for the five Americans whom they said \u201cinadvertently\u201d had ammunition in their luggage. <\/p>\n
Hagerich\u2019s sentencing came after the US officials expressed disappointment over their attempted intervention. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, despite our willingness to work with Turks and Caicos officials to get our constituents home, we were not able to find a path forward,\u201d Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said in a statement this week. <\/p>\n
In addition to Hagerich, two other Americans \u2013 Michael Lee Evans and Tyler Wenrich \u2013 have pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition while traveling in Turks and Caicos, according to the territory\u2019s government. <\/p>\n
Evans was allowed to return to the US over a \u201csevere\u201d medical situation, but will be required to return to Turks and Caicos for his next hearing, Smith said. <\/p>\n
A fourth American, Ryan Tyler Watson, will have a hearing Tuesday to determine if he will enter a plea or go to trial, Smith said. <\/p>\n
A fifth American, Sharitta Shinese Grier, was arrested last week and is awaiting trial after making bail, according to Kimo Tynes\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b, director of communications in the Office of the Premier and Public Policy. <\/p>\n
Turks and Caicos Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam said the mandatory minimum 12-year sentence for possession of firearms or ammunition is in place to protect those on the islands, and judges may use their discretion to impose reduced sentences in \u201cexceptional circumstances.\u201d <\/p>\n
But no special treatment should be given to any group, the Turks and Caicos premier said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe law must be applied even-handedly,\u201d Misick said. <\/p>\n
And US citizens are not being targeted, Turks and Caicos officials said. Of the 195 people sentenced for firearm-related offenses over the past six years, only seven were US citizens, Misick said Thursday. No US citizen has received the 12-year sentence to date. <\/p>\n
Even though the territory doesn\u2019t manufacture firearms or ammunition, the number of firearms finding their way to the islands has increased, Misick said. By contrast, the United States has more guns than people. <\/p>\n
Now, bringing firearms or ammunition into Turks and Caicos without prior permission from police is \u201cstrictly forbidden.\u201d <\/p>\n
While the US and Turks and Caicos collaborate in battling narcotics, terrorism and money laundering, \u201cour laws and processes are not congruent,\u201d Misick said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a separate sovereignty. We respect the United States\u2019 laws and we will never think to interfere in its operation.\u201d <\/p>\n
But at least one appointed member of the opposition, Alvin Garland, expressed concern about the American citizens\u2019 arrests. <\/p>\n
Garland said the islands\u2019 governor is correct in not interfering with the ongoing court cases in order to adhere to the government\u2019s separation of powers, but added he believes most, if not all, of the cases involving American tourists will fall into the \u201cexceptional circumstances category\u201d and sentences could be shorter than the mandatory 12-year minimum. <\/p>\n
This story has been updated with additional information.<\/em> <\/p>\n Correction: <\/em><\/strong>An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the last name of Turks and Caicos Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam.<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first of several Americans recently charged with possession of ammunition in Turks and Caicos was heading home Friday after getting a suspended 52-week sentence and a $6,700 fine, his representatives said. But four other Americans still await their fate. In recent months, all were arrested and accused of bringing in various amounts of ammunition <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitaltradecenter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}