Virginia man becomes second American to avoid prison sentence in Turks and Caicos ammunition cases

Virginia resident Tyler Wenrich on Tuesday became the second detained American in Turks and Caicos to avoid a prison sentence, after a judge ruled there were "extraordinary circumstances" in his case of bringing bullets to the island territory.

Five Americans were detained in the British territory for mistakenly bringing ammunition to the islands while on vacation. All five claimed they were unaware that their bags contained the ammunition and did not mean to bring it with them. Bryan Hagerich was the first to receive his sentence, and was sentenced to 52-weeks with a 12-month suspension, and was released that day.

Wenrich, who accidentally took bullets from a previous hunting trip on a cruise with him, pleaded guilty to the ammunition charge which has a possible sentence of up to 12 years in prison. He was sentenced to three weeks, which he had already served, and was fined $9,000, according to NBC News.

"I feel very just relieved, a weight that have been lifted off my shoulders and my wife and I’m glad that I get to go home and be with my son again," Wenrich told reporters outside of courthouse. "[I've been] very emotional because it’s up and down because [the judge] goes through everything. You don’t know if it’s going one way or the other as he’s read through everything so tearing up every time I heard 18-month-old son and now I’m just relieved at the outcome."

The judge did not state what the circumstances were that led to the lighter sentence, but Wenrich is a paramedic from Louisa, Virginia, and has an 18-month old son. Hagerich's sentence last week was shorter in part because of the impact the crime had on his young daughter, and because he took responsibility for the crime and had no previous criminal history.

Wenrich also commented that he was treated well by everyone in the country. 

"Everybody truly honestly, I know we’ve said this through this ordeal but it’s been, it’s been true that everybody here. the citizens, police, the guards, everybody has been phenomenal, hospitable and friendly," he said.

Two other Americans remain in custody on the islands, Ryan Watson and Sharitta Shinise Grier. The third American was released without jail time because he had terminal cancer. The islands are considered a vacation hotspot for tourists worldwide, and are located southeast of the Bahamas. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.