A judge in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday morning handed down a suspended 52-month prison sentence to Brian Hagerich, a Pennsylvania-based father of two and former professional baseball player who pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
Hagerich, 39, is one of five Americans who have been arrested and detained on the island since February for possessing stray ammunition in their luggage, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in TCI prison.
The other Americans include Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma, Shalitta Greer, 45, of Florida, Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia, and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas.
“He will be released shortly,” Hagelich’s spokesman, Jonathan Franks, said in a tweet on Friday.
Hagerich was also ordered to pay a $6,500 fine.
“From the day I was arrested, my ultimate goal was to get off the island and go home to my family, and to think that that day could be tomorrow brings up all kinds of emotions,” Hagerich told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “I’m very anxious. [are] Many prayers from family, friends and strangers around the world will hopefully bring that outcome.”
He added that he and his lawyers “put up a very strong defense” after pleading guilty.
Facebook/Ashley Hagerich
Haigerich, Watson and Greer all lived in the same apartment building on the island, awaiting their fates.
“We all support each other. We’re a big family,” said Watson, who later described the trio as “like two brothers and a sister.”
While there are slight differences between the cases, all five were arrested after security discovered ammunition in their luggage on their way home.
Haigerich had packed a large suitcase for a family vacation and in one of the compartments was ammunition from a previous hunting trip.
“I never dreamed a simple mistake would land me in Turks and Caicos for over 100 days,” Hagelich said.
Watson had tucked some leftover ammunition from a hunting trip inside his carry-on luggage.
Greer had recently purchased a gun for self-defense and found a stray bullet in the lining of the bag.
She told Fox News Digital that her brother owns a store that sometimes closes at night, and she wanted a firearm in case of an emergency.
“I had no intention of hurting anybody or anything. It’s just my own fear. It’s not a game,” Greer said, adding that he had “no other reason” to own a gun other than to protect himself while he closed his brother’s store.
In fact, Greef had never fired a gun in his life.
Wenrich also told Fox News Digital that he had no intention of bringing the guns onto the island and was unaware that he had two bullets in his travel backpack until security found them.
Republican Rep. Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he is lobbying the State Department to issue a no-travel order to TCI that would ban cruise ships from docking on the island and prohibit travelers from purchasing travel insurance.
The senator also noted that most Americans visiting the islands come from Texas, Florida and Virginia, and is considering imposing tariffs on US imports to TCI and issuing a travel ban from certain states.
“Their economy is overwhelmingly dependent on tourism, over 70 percent, and 86 percent of their tourists are American,” Reschenthaler said, “so all we have to do is issue a travel ban.” [order] “And we’re going to destroy their economy overnight, and then hopefully we can free the Americans and force the Turks and Caicos Islands to change this law.”
Turks and Caicos Islands Police
He added that the “draconian” law treats Americans who possess ammunition “as if they were arms smugglers or gun dealers.”
“None of them had firearms, by the way. The bullets were just carelessly and accidentally left in a carry-on duffel bag,” the congressman noted.
On Monday, a bipartisan congressional delegation visited TCI to urge government leaders to release Americans who were detained for having ammunition in their bags.
Shalitta Lucas/Facebook
“The US delegation raised concerns about the cases of five US nationals currently on trial, concerns about their health status and clarification of the legal process,” the TCI Governor’s Office said in a statement on Monday. “In order to preserve the integrity of the legal process, the Governor confirmed that it would not be appropriate to accommodate the delegation’s request to meet with the Chief Justice.”
The governor and chancellor also said they “cannot intervene or comment on litigation ongoing in the courts,” the statement continued.
“They explained that the Turks and Caicos Islands have clear laws prohibiting the possession of firearms and ammunition, with severe penalties in place to protect and safeguard all who reside and visit the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
