A third American who was arrested in the Turks and Caicos Islands received a 13-week suspended prison sentence in recent months for possession of ammunition and was fined $2,000 on Friday, his spokesman said said on social media.
Ryan Watson of Oklahoma had pleaded guilty and faced a possible prison sentence over four rounds of ammunition found in his carry-on luggage when he and his wife visited the British territory earlier this year.
Watson has been free on bail for weeks while his case went through the islands' legal system, but he was not allowed to return to his wife Valerie Watson and their two children in the US until his case was resolved.
According to spokesperson Jonathan Frankenthe judge ruled that there were exceptional circumstances and that the long sentence would be arbitrary.
“We will pay up soon, leave TCI and expect to be home in OKC tonight,” Franks tweeted Friday.
Watson was arrested on April 12 when four rounds of hunting ammunition were found in his carry-on luggage as the couple tried to return home after a holiday. Valerie Watson was allowed to return to the US and was not charged.
Ryan Watson told CBS News in April that he regretted the ordeal and had no intention of breaking the island's laws.
“There was no intention behind it and this was 100% a mistake and an accident,” Watson said.
Two other Americans arrested under similar circumstances were convicted last month. Bryan Hagerich from Pennsylvania received a suspended sentence and a $6,700 fine for possession of twenty rifle bullets found in his checked bag during a family vacation. Virginia's Tyler Wenrich was sentenced to time served and a $9,000 fine for two 9mm bullets found in his backpack while trying to board a cruise ship. Both men have returned to the US
Hagerich and Wenrich faced possible mandatory minimum sentences of twelve years in prison, but the courts ruled that there were exceptional circumstances in their case, which resulted in lighter sentences for the Americans.
Amid calls from members of Congress to show leniency to Americans, island lawmakers have reconsidered mandatory minimum sentences for firearms offenses. According to local news channel The SunOn June 14, the House of Representatives voted in favor of an amendment that gives judges more discretion in imposing sentences when they determine that there are exceptional circumstances.
grandmother from Florida The case of Sharitta Grier is still being processed on the islands. She was arrested in May after two bullets were reportedly found in her carry-on luggage as she returned home from a surprise Mother's Day holiday.
A fifth American, Michael Lee Evans of Texas, was allowed to return to the US for medical reasons while out on bail.
