An Oklahoma man arrested for bringing ammo to Turks and Caicos says a Friday court hearing could determine the fate of multiple Americans who face a similar predicament after a new policy took effect in the popular vacation spot.
“The date that everything hinges on is this Friday. Bryan Hagerich goes on trial May the 3rd,” Ryan Watson, who was arrested after stray bullets were discovered in his luggage while his family was returning from their vacation, told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday.
Hagerich’s case, he explained, will be the first tried since a February court order ruled that tourists in the process of leaving the country are also subject to prison time for possessing firearms or ammo.
OKLAHOMA AIRPORT UNDER TSA MICROSCOPE AFTER TURKS AND CAICOS JAILS DAD FOUND WITH AMMO
Americans detained in Turks and Caicos, including Oklahoma man Ryan Watson and Virginia man Tyler Wenrich, are facing up to 12 years in prison for inadvertently having stray ammo in their luggage. (Getty Images/ Watson family/ Wenrich family)
Tourists were previously able to pay a fine in most instances, according to reports.
Ryan and his wife Valerie were flying home from their vacation in Turks and Caicos where they were celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday on April 12 when they were arrested at the airport.
Valerie, who is now home in Oklahoma, told guest host Carley Shimkus the most difficult part is explaining the situation to their two children.
“There’s just a lot of unknowns right now, and, I think that’s probably the most worrisome of all, because I don’t really know what to tell the kids when they ask, ‘Do you know how long dad’s going to be gone?'” she said.
AMERICANS ARRESTED IN TURKS AND CAICOS FACE 12 YEARS IN PRISON OVER ‘INNOCENT MISTAKE’: ‘NEVER DAWNED ON US’
Tyler Wenrich is also facing a minimum 12-year prison sentence after two stray bullets were found in his bag while traveling home from Turks and Caicos. (Michael Wenrich)
“We’ve been praying a lot, and we have a lot of faith, and we know that this is part of God’s plan for us, and we are just doing our best to keep going and just keep praying, because that’s really all we can do. We’re kind of just in a waiting phase right now, and it’s been kind of difficult.”
Both Ryan and Valerie insist they were unaware that the bullets were in the carry-on bag. Labeling himself a “responsible gun owner,” Ryan said gun safety has always been something he has stressed to his children, but that the incident on the vacation was a simple mistake.
“We’re human, we make mistakes, and it was just an oversight. I never saw those bullets in there and, unfortunately, they were not only missed by me, but they were also missed by TSA.”
OKLAHOMA MAN WITH AMMO IN TURKS AND CAICOS AIRPORT FACES 12 YEARS IN PRISON: ‘RISK OF LOSING EVERYTHING’
Ryan explained that the bag was previously used for a deer hunting trip in Texas last year.
Watson and Tyler Wenrich, another American arrested on the same grounds, are slated to appear in court on May 7.
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Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
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