A Virginia man arrived at the Richmond airport on Thursday after being released from custody in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), where he had been detained for having ammunition in his luggage.
Tyler Wenrich, a 31-year-old husband and father, is one of five Americans arrested and detained on the islands since February for have lost ammunition in your luggage, a crime punishable by up to 12 years in prison on the islands.
The other Americans detained are Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma; Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida; Bryan Hagerich, 39, of Pennsylvania; and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas.
PENNSYLVANIA MAN RETURNES HOME AFTER DETENTION IN TURKS AND CAICOS FOR AMMUNITION IN HIS LUGGAGE
Tyler Wenrich and his wife, Jeriann, return to Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Wenrich was ordered to pay a $9,000 fine for unknowingly possessing ammunition in his luggage while visiting the islands. (The direct image for Fox News Digital)
Tyler Wenrich and his family pose with Rep. Bob Good as he returns to Richmond, Virginia, Thursday, May 30, 2024. Wenrich was ordered to pay a $9,000 fine for unknowingly possessing ammunition in his luggage while visiting the islands . (The direct image for Fox News Digital)
Wenrich was greeted with applause when he landed at Richmond International Airport after spending three weeks in jail and paying $9,000 in fines for unknowingly possessing ammunition in his luggage while visiting the island nation.
“It feels good to be back with my wife and son,” Wenrich told reporters after joyfully hugging friends and family. “I’m exhausted and honestly happy to be back.”
Tyler Wenrich hugs Rep. Bob Good as he returns to Richmond, Virginia, Thursday, May 30, 2024. Wenrich was ordered to pay a $9,000 fine for unknowingly possessing ammunition in his luggage while visiting the islands. (The direct image for Fox News Digital)
Wenrich said his incarceration and eventual release back to the United States was a “roller coaster,” and he thanked his friends, family and elected officials.
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“It’s been a roller coaster ride and I’m grateful for the friends, family and representatives involved in trying to get us back on our feet,” he said. “Representatives Bob Good and Chris Snyder have been fantastic, as have many other representatives, in trying to get us home. We appreciate it.”
Tyler Wenrich speaks to the media as he returns to Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Wenrich was ordered to pay a $9,000 fine for unknowingly possessing ammunition in his luggage while visiting the islands. (The direct image for Fox News Digital)
The 31-year-old said “it’s going to be amazing” to hug his young son again.
“It’s going to be amazing to have him in my arms again,” Wenrich said. “I didn’t know if it was going to happen again.”
He said the last three weeks, since his incarceration at TCI, have been filled with “anxiety” and “excitement.”
“It has been a lot of anxiety and a lot of emotion to see the family again,” he told reporters.
Tyler Wenrich poses next to a firearm warning sign with his friend as he returns to Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Wenrich was ordered to pay a $9,000 fine for unknowingly possessing ammunition in his luggage while visiting the islands. (The direct image for Fox News Digital)
Wenrich was initially arrested on April 20 after a wedding party in Turks and Caicos 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 the Turks and Caicos Islands. Cruise ship security found two stray bullets in her purse as she was preparing to board the ship to return home.
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“YOIt’s a backpack… that I haven’t used in a while, but I had used it before to carry supplies in my car and go to the shooting range. So I took 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 sailing to Grand Turk, and then we spent a day here,” Wenrich previously told Fox News Digital. “So we spent about 8 to 9 hours on the island. “And then when I was boarding the ship, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, they scanned the bag, found a bullet, scanned the bag again and found the second bullet.”
Tyler Wenrich also faces a minimum sentence of 12 years in prison after two stray bullets were found in his bag while traveling home from the Turks and Caicos Islands. (Michael Wenrich)
Cruise ship authorities then sent Wenrich to local police, at which point he “knew things were going wrong.”
The other Americans arrested in Turks for having missing ammunition, including Sharitta Grier of Florida, Oklahoma’s Ryan Watson and Michael Lee Evans of Texas, were arrested at airports on the islands.
“Everyone else has been at the airport, so it’s very different from their cases,” Wenrich said of his own case. “But as far as the charges go, it’s very similar. We were actually able to meet with them in person last week and go to lunch and talk about those things as well. But we stay in daily communication with each other.”
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A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation visited TCI officials Monday to discuss the arrests of five Americans over an ammunition possession law. (TCI Governor’s Office)
Wenrich said the support he and his family have received from both friends and locals back home, as well as other Americans in the Turks and Caicos Islands, has been “phenomenal.”
Governors. Youngkin, Sitt and Shapiro sent a letter to Turks and Caicos Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam urging the release of Watson, Hagerich and Wenrich.
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“Like thousands of Americans each year, these people recently traveled to your beautiful territory for pleasure,” the governors wrote in a joint letter shared with Fox News Digital. “All have maintained that they had no intention of bringing ammunition into the Turks and Caicos Islands, and any ammunition that was unknowingly left in their luggage was the result of lawful conduct in the United States. We understand that none of them were carrying firearms “.
Five Americans have been arrested in Turks and Caicos since February for carrying ammunition at the island’s airports. From left to right: Michael Lee Evans (not pictured), Bryan Hagerich, Tyler Wenrich, Ryan Watson and Sharitta Grier (Turks and Caicos Islands Police/ Dimitrios Kambouris)
Several members of Congress have spoken publicly about the issue of the detention of Americans in the Turks and Caicos Islands for possession of ammunition. A congressional delegation met with TCI government leaders earlier this month to discuss the possible release of Americans detained over the ammunition ordinance, but to no avail.
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“The U.S. delegation raised five cases of U.S. citizens currently before the courts, concern for their well-being, and clarification of the legal process,” the TCI Governor’s Office said in a May 13 statement. “To maintain the integrity of the legal process, the Governor confirmed that it would not be appropriate to facilitate the delegation’s request to meet with the Chief Justice.”
The governor and prime minister also said they “cannot intervene or 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 that strict penalties are in place to serve and protect all who reside and visit the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
