Virginia man detained in Turks and Caicos recalls moment he knew 'things were going sideways'
Tyler Wenrich, a Virginia father detained in Turks and Caicos for having stray bullets in his travel bag, said the possibility of being sentenced to 12 years in prison is "scary and daunting" as he faces his sentencing hearing in about a week.
Five Americans have been arrested and detained since February for possessing ammunition on the islands under a new ordinance that requires both residents and tourists to face a minimum 12-year sentence for possessing ammunition. At least three of those Americans have told Fox News Digital they did not realize they had ammunition in their bags in the first place.
"It's scary and uncertain. I'm kind of in a lull right now because I don't have a [sentencing] date yet set. It's just a roller coaster," Wenrich, who has a wife and 1-year-old son at home, told Fox News Digital. "And it'll get that way again when we have a sentencing date and, and have to go into the courtroom to kind of figure out what my fate is going to be."
Wenrich, 31, and the other Americans who were arrested for ammunition possession on the islands must prove that they were arrested under extraordinary circumstances in order to get a lighter punishment.
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He was initially arrested on April 20 following a wedding party in TCI and pleaded guilty in court on Monday, when both prosecutors and his defense team presented oral arguments, he told Fox News Digital. Wenrich had traveled from Virginia to Florida, where he boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and then docked in Turks and Caicos. Cruise ship security found two stray bullets in his bag when he was about to board the ship to go back home.
"It's a backpack… that I hadn't used in a while, but I had used it previously for carrying supplies in my car and going to the shooting range. So I pulled it out for this trip, checked it, went through TSA security, went through port security in Miami. It was about a day and a half sail to Grand Turk, and then we spent a day here," Wenrich explained. "So it was about 8 to 9 hours that we spent on the island. And then when I was boarding the ship, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, they scanned the bag, found one bullet, scanned the bag again, found the second bullet."
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Cruise ship authorities then sent Wenrich to local police.
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The other Americans arrested in Turks for having stray ammo – including Sharitta Grier of Florida, Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania and Michael Lee Evans of Texas – were arrested at airports on the islands.
"Everybody else has been at the airport, so that's a lot different than their cases," Wenrich said of his own case. "But as far as the charge goes, it's very similar. We were actually able to meet with them in person last week and go to lunch and kind of talk about those things, as well. But we keep in daily communication with each other."
Wenrich said the support he and his family have received from both friends and locals back home, as well as from the other Americans in Turks and Caicos, has been "phenomenal."
"Our friends and family have been phenomenal taking care of them, and the people in the community have been nothing short of just helpful and supportive of [my wife and children], bringing them food and and everything," Wenrich said. "Taking care of the house. And then us here… we've had a bunch of support from the other Americans that are involved in this. And we keep in contact every day, try to encourage each other and keep each other in our prayers."
As "terrible as the situation is," Wenrich said the other Americans arrested since February have proven to be a "great support system."
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A date for Wenrich's sentencing hearing has yet to be set, at which point he will learn whether he has to spend any time in prison on Grand Turk.
"Everybody does make mistakes," he said. "And that's what this was for all of us. And we just have to be cognizant of what we're traveling with. And I think some of our systems need to be in cahoots to have a better fail-safe in place just in case this happens."
Wenrich's plea came a day after a bipartisan congressional delegation visited TCI on Monday to ask government leaders to release the Americans detained for having stray ammo in their bags.
"The U.S. delegation raised five cases of US nationals currently before the courts, concern for their well-being and clarification on the legal process," the TCI Governor's Office said in a Monday statement. "In order to maintain the integrity of the legal process, the Governor confirmed it would not be appropriate to facilitate the delegation’s request to meet with the Chief Justice."
The governor and the premier also said "they cannot intervene nor comment on ongoing legal cases before the courts," the statement continued. "They explained that the Turks and Caicos Islands have clear laws prohibiting the possession of firearms and/or ammunition and strict penalties are in place to serve and protect all who reside and visit the Turks and Caicos Islands."
Last week, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin sent a letter to Turks and Caicos Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam to urge the release of Watson, Hagerich and Wenrich.
"Like thousands of Americans each year, these individuals traveled to your beautiful territory recently for leisure," the governors wrote in a joint letter shared with Fox News Digital. "They have all maintained that they did not intend to bring ammunition into Turks and Caicos, and any ammunition unknowingly left in their luggage was the result of lawful conduct in the United States. We understand that none of them were carrying firearms."