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The good news is that an American tourist being held in Turks and Caicos is being released today. The bad news is that four other Americans are still in jail on similar charges.
Friday morning Bryan Hagerich, a Pennsylvania father of two and former pro baseball player, pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition. Hagerich, 39, is one of five Americans who has been arrested and detained on the islands since February for having stray ammunition in their luggage. It is a crime punishable by up to 12 years in jail.
Other Americans being held are Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma, Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida; Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia; and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas. Each case is a little different but all were arrested while traveling home. Airport security detected ammunition in their luggage.
Instead of 12 years in jail that he faced, Hagerich received a suspended sentence of 52 weeks and a fine of $6700.
“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 told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “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.
