Bryan Hagerich, an American who has been freed after smuggling ammunition into the Turks and Caicos Islands, has described the ordeal as “the darkest days of my life.”
The 39-year-old had arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport earlier in the day on Friday, hugging his children and wife in an emotional reunion. It was the first time he had seen them since his arrest abroad in February for stray bullets found in a suitcase.
The father of two from Pennsylvania was spared a lengthy prison sentence after paying a fine and pleading guilty, while four other Americans remained detained and charged with the same charges.
Hagerich, a former professional player who was once drafted by the Marlins, is the first to return to the United States.
He was released with a 12-month suspended sentence, while the other four await sentencing. He called his experience at an unspecified facility in the Caribbean country “the toughest… of (his) life,” before shedding more light on his ordeal.
Bryan Hagerich, a 39-year-old former baseball player who was arrested in Turks and Caicos earlier this year, spoke to reporters outside Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday after reuniting with his family. He is seen being interviewed here with his wife, Ashley.
The former Miami Marlins recruit called his experience at an unspecified detention center “the hardest…of (his) life,” and expressed relief at being back home. This father of two from Pennsylvania was caught with ammunition in his luggage, but escaped prison time after paying a fine.
“The weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders,” Hagerich told reporters at the airport after reuniting with his family.
“I’m very grateful to be here at home with my family and friends, but we still have three other Americans in Turks and Caicos,” Hagerich said, referring to one of the criminals, who was able to return to the United States for medical reasons.
“They were hard, the darkest days of my life,” he continued of his arrest. “You think you’re on this beautiful island, but there’s nothing beautiful about it when you don’t have your family.”
When asked if he would visit again, he joked, “I think we’ll look for another place.”
Earlier in the day, a judge sentenced Hagerich to a 52-week suspended sentence with a $6,700 fine for possession of weapons and ammunition, under a strict statute intended to address growing gang violence in the Caribbean nation.
He faced a minimum sentence of 12 years, a fate that could still await the other four.
Before that, he was held in a facility in Turks and Caicos, a more than two-month ordeal that he called “the most difficult time of my life.”
“As a father, as a provider and not being that figure in my family’s life, it’s a very difficult pill to swallow,” Hagerich said outside the airport.
He had faced a minimum of 12 years, a fate that could still await the other four. Before that, he was held in a facility in Turks and Caicos, an experience of more than two months that he called the “darkest” of his life.
After agreeing to plead guilty, he received a 52-week suspended sentence and a $6,700 fine, allowing him to be reunited with his children, Caroline, 6, and Palmer, 4, his wife, Gisele Fetterman, and her husband John Fetterman. , and their state colleagues. Representative Guy Reschenthaler
A video captured the touching moment when Hagerich, 39, arrived at the airport and immediately hugged his children and wife, seeing them for the first time since his arrest.
‘It’s just amazing how, in just 12 hours, considering 12 years so far. My biggest concern is officiating my kids’ baseball games tomorrow and that’s a big relief.”
He added that the conditions of his detention were “harsh”, calling them “the darkest days” of his life.
Without offering further details, he said he was grateful to be home and emphasized that other Americans are still stuck on the islands. However, keeping a positive attitude, he said they “will be home soon.”
The other Americans detained are Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma; Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida; Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia; and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas, all arrested in recent months.
Their arrests come as part of the country’s crackdown on firearms after implementing stricter gun laws in 2022, emphasized in September 203 with a national alert.
Wenrich, Watson and Grier remain trapped on the island, while Evans was released on bail and allowed to fly back to the US because he suffers from a serious medical condition.
All were charged with firearms possession for loose bullets allegedly found in their luggage, and all claim they did not know they were there.
Defense arguments have varied: they could have been abandoned there after hunting trips or simply by mistake, with Hagerich being the only one among them to plead guilty.
Hagerich, seen here Friday with his son, was the only one to get such a deal from a judge, after pleading guilty to firearms possession.
When asked why he was admitting guilt, he told ABC News in an interview alongside his wife Ashley earlier this month. ‘I am a man of integrity and character. I had no intention of this’
Following his sentencing on Friday and time served, the Turks and Caicos Islands prime minister said “justice has been served as provided by law.” In response, Hagerich said that at least officials have “set some precedent” with his sentencing.
So he was the only one to get such a deal from a judge, and on Friday he issued a 52-month suspended sentence that was suspended for 12 months, essentially erasing the sentence.
After paying his fine, they gave him his passport and returned him to the United States without problems, something he said. “absolutely euphoric.”
When asked why he was admitting guilt, he told ABC News in an interview alongside his wife Ashley earlier this month. “I am a man of integrity and character.”
“I had no intention of this.”
Following his sentencing on Friday and time served, the Turks and Caicos Islands prime minister said “justice has been served as provided by law.”
In response, Hagerich said that at least officials have “set some precedent” with their sentencing.
