What to Know
- Three American tourists are detained on Turks and Caicos Islands for violating a strict firearm and ammunition law that carries a minimum 12-year sentence
- Prosecutors in the country say if "exceptional circumstances" are found, offenders may instead receive fines or shorter sentences
- The Transportation Security Administration found that ammunition was not detected in the bag of a U.S. citizen who flew from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma to Turks and Caicos
The Transportation Safety Administration has admitted it failed to detect bullets in the luggage of American tourists who were later arrested on the Turks and Caicos Islands for possession of ammunition.
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On Tuesday, another U.S. citizen, who has family in New England, was arrested and detained for the same charge, after stopping on the islands during a cruise.
Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia is the latest American tourist charged with possession of ammunition in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
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Brian Hagerich of Pennsylvania and Ryan Watson of Oklahoma have also been charged. All three are fathers and are facing possible mandatory minimum 12-year prison sentences after they say they accidently left ammunition in their bags from previous trips.
We spoke with Wenrich's father about his son's arrest.
"He is terrified. I try to give him hope and some strength and he's hanging in there," Michael Wenrich said. "But, as you can imagine, his life, his wife, his child -- their lives and our lives have been overturned."
Wenrich tells us his son is in prison and is hoping to post bail next week. Tyler Wenrich is a paramedic and was on a Royal Caribbean cruise for a bachelor party trip. The ship stopped in Grand Turk on Tuesday.
"He boarded the airplane, went to Florida, got through security and got through security on to the ship," Michael Wenrich said. "When he left the ship to explore the island with his friends and came back, you go through security, and that's where they found two rounds in the bottom corner or whatever of his backpack. And they immediately took him into custody."
In a statement, TSA admits it missed the ammunition that was in Ryan Watson's bag when he boarded a plane in Oklahoma April 7.
"TSA takes its security mission very seriously. TSA can confirm that four rounds of ammunition were not detected in the traveler's bag during security screening at will Rogers World Airport," a spokesperson said. "TSA is here to protect our transportation security systems, and an oversight occurred that the agency is addressing internally."
NBC10 Boston asked the TSA if it was conducting security reviews at the airports in Pittsburgh and Richmond, where Hagerich and Wenrich went through security, respectively. The agency said it is only monitoring the situation involving one traveler that flew through Oklahoma City.
Tyler Wenrich is the VP of operations for Emergency Services Solutions in Virginia. His boss is vouching for his character.
"We understand this is a very serious situation, but we also know that the guy that you have is a special type of human being who we're going to help in any way possible," said Blanton Marchese, CEO of Emergency Services Solutions Inc. "Tyler's done nothing but serve the community that we live in with honor."
Wenrich's father is in Grand Turk and tells us they are taking the situation day by day.
"It's hard to comprehend. First, having your son in a foreign prison is mind-blowing and scary. Two, to get your head around two stray rounds in the bottom of a backpack could cost him 12 years in jail, it's … I can't comprehend it," said Michael Wenrich. "There are many tears and, you know, just trying to give him strength. And if I have to stay here longer … we're just going to do whatever it takes to give him the hope and support that he needs."
The attorney general and director of public prosecutions of Turks and Caicos issued a statement on Wednesday saying the island's firearm ordinance "requires the Supreme Court to impose a mandatory minimum sentence and fine for certain firearm offenses, except in circumstances where the court finds that there are exceptional circumstances."
The statement went on to add that there have been five separate cases within a two-year period where the Supreme Court on the islands have found exceptional circumstances. Four of the offenders were fined and one was given a custodial sentence below the mandatory minimum. Michael Grim's eight-month sentence was below the mandatory minimum of 12 years in prison.
The director of public prosecutions said in a statement, "8 firearms and ammunitions prosecutions in total were done involving tourists from the United States, 3 of which are currently before the court with each of the defendants on bail."
Brian Hagerich is one of those three. He was let out on bail Friday pending his next hearing.
We asked Royal Caribbean why the ammunition wasn't detected before Wenrich boarded the ship. The company said it would look into the situation, but we have not heard back.
More on the Turks and Caicos Islands ammunition arrests
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