A Pennsylvania man held in the Turks and Caicos Islands for having ammunition in his luggage has finally been released and reunited with his family.
Video footage captured the heartwarming moment Bryan Hagerich, 39, arrived at the Pittsburgh airport Friday evening and hugged his crying children and wife after seeing them for the first time since his arrest in February.
Upon his arrival, Hagerich told reporters he was “absolutely thrilled” to be home, CNN reported.
“We still have a lot of catching up to do,” he added. ‘Lots of memories to make together. I’m so excited to see them. They have been so strong through it all.”
Hagerich, who received a 52-week suspended prison sentence and a $6,700 fine after pleading guilty, is the first of four other Americans detained in Turks and Caicos.
Video footage captured the heartwarming moment Bryan Hagerich, 39, arrived at the Pittsburgh airport Friday evening and hugged his crying children and wife after seeing them for the first time since his arrest in February.
Hagerich, who received a 52-week suspended prison sentence and a $6,700 fine after pleading guilty, is the first of four other Americans detained in Turks and Caicos (Bryan, second from right, with his children, Caroline, 6, and Palmer, 4, his wife, Ashley, Gisele Fetterman, her husband, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa)
Possession of firearms or ammunition carries a minimum sentence of twelve years on the island.
On Friday, a judge gave him a 52-month suspended sentence and ordered him to pay a $6,500 fine after he pleaded guilty in exchange for his release.
Hagerich is seen hugging his children, Palmer, 4, and Caroline, 6, who are holding a welcome sign next to his smiling wife Ashley, after arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday.
“It’s just amazing how, within a period of 12 hours, over a period of 12 years,” he told reporters on Friday. “My biggest worry is coaching my kids’ baseball games tomorrow, and that is such a relief.”
Ryan Watson, 40, Tyler Scott Wenrich, 31, and Sharitta Shinse Grier, 45, are all in custody on the island, while Michael Lee Evans, 72, was released on bail and allowed to fly back to the US because he has a serious medical condition .
They claim they didn’t know there were bullets in their bags – saying they could have been left there after a hunting trip or by accident – and asked for mercy.
Upon his arrival, Hagerich told reporters he was “absolutely thrilled” to be home
On Friday, a judge gave him a 52-month suspended sentence and ordered him to pay a $6,500 fine after he pleaded guilty in exchange for his release.
Palmer Hagerich, 4, awaits the arrival of his father, Bryan, at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday, May 24, 2024
But a delegation of two US senators, three members of the House of Representatives and representatives from the embassy and State Department were “unable to find a path forward” to secure their release, meaning they are still risk twelve years in prison.
Wenrich pleaded guilty Tuesday and will be sentenced May 28. Watson and Grier have yet to plead.
Hagerich, Watson and Grier share an apartment under house arrest on the Caribbean island as they awaited their fate.
Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania welcomed the news that Hagerich would soon be released and go home to his family.
“I am grateful that the authorities in Turks and Caicos have shown leniency and that Bryan Hagerich will soon be on his way home to his family in Somerset,” he said.
Bryan Hagerich (photo) talks to reporters at the airport. Ryan Watson, 40, Tyler Scott Wenrich, 31, and Sharitta Shinse Grier, 45, are all in custody on the island, while Michael Lee Evans, 72, was released on bail and allowed to fly back to the US because he has a serious medical condition .
Tyler Wenrich, 31, pictured with his wife Jeriann, also faces 12 years in prison after two 9mm bullets were found in his luggage on April 20 as he left on a bachelor party cruise
Ryan Watson, 40, a keen hunter, said loose hunting bullets were found in his luggage when he and his wife Valerie left their holiday. He still lives on the island
Sharitta Grier, center, now lives in a rental home on the island with Ryan Watson, left, and Bryan Hagerich, seen right, all of whom were caught with ammunition in their bags
Hagerich said before his sentencing that he hoped he could get off the island instead of ending up in prison.
“I never in a million years thought I would be in Turks and Caicos for more than 100 days because of a simple mistake,” he told Fox News.
‘There is clearly a lot of concern. Over there [are] a lot of prayers… from families, friends, people from all over the world that we don’t even know right now, to hopefully get to that outcome.”
Hagerik insisted that he had no intention of bringing ammunition to the islands.
He expressed the difficulty of being separated from his family.
“As a father, it is my responsibility to provide for my family, protect my family and support them in every way imaginable. And for me it’s just been catastrophic,” he said in an earlier interview.
