A fifth American tourist has been arrested after ammunition was found in her luggage at a Turks and Caicos Islands airport.
Sharitta Shinese Grier, 45, was arrested last Monday at Howard Hamilton International Airport, and Turks and Caicos police said bullets were found “during a routine security check.”
It is the latest in a series of arrests made on the island since February, with four others now facing charges after they were caught carrying ammunition in their luggage.
Willie Lucas, Grier’s mother, said it was heartbreaking to leave her daughter on the island while the rest of the family returned to their home in Florida.
“I didn’t want to go home,” he said. Fox 35. ‘Be safe when you go out of town. Just stay safe. Be careful and keep us in your prayers, because God knows we will surely need it.’
Ammunition was found in Sharitta Shinese Grier’s luggage during a routine security check.
Sharitta Shinese Grier is the fifth American tourist arrested in Turks and Caicos Islands
Sharitta Grier, center, now lives in a rental home on the island with Ryan Watson, left, and Bryan Hagerich, right, who were caught with ammunition in their bags.
Chanchy Willis, Grier’s cousin, has said it was “just a horrible mistake” that the ammunition was found.
‘Just for two bullets? “It was just a horrible mistake for all five of us,” Willis said.
Grier posted bail and now lives in a rental property on the island along with other Americans who have been detained. None are allowed to leave the island.
She will appear before a judge on July 5.
None of the men arrested — Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania, Tyler Wenrich of Virginia and Michael Lee Evans of Texas — are connected in any way.
“Seeing the others and how they’re so close, and reaching out to her, showing her that she’s not alone, that they’re all in this together, that brings joy to my heart,” Willis said.
Evans, 72, was granted $20,000 bail and given permission to return to the United States due to a medical condition, with reports indicating suffers from terminal cancer.
Wenrich has been in Turks and Caicos since April 20. He was granted bail and is staying with his father. He is awaiting a hearing this week where the judge can hand down a sentence the same day. News Nation reports.
In a moment we’ll hear some news and that will lift your spirits a little. Then the next moment they just crash into something else. “So, it’s a wicked roller coaster right now because the emotions are up and the movement is down,” Michael Wenrich said.
“We really don’t know how this will play out, because if we look at past cases, they all have different outcomes.”
Willie Lucas, left, was speechless when he learned that his daughter, Sharitta Grier, had been arrested while visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands on charges of possession of ammunition.
Ryan Watson, 40, from Oklahoma, He said his family doesn’t know anything about his fate and that “we can’t set any expectations about when I’ll be able to be home with those kids.”
“Not being with my kids, not being home with Valerie right now, is the most terrible thing I’ve ever experienced right now,” he said during an interview last month.
He said returning to his children is “and always will be my ultimate goal.”
Watson has remained on the islands for nearly a month as he faces a June 7 court date.
At one point, his wife Valerie also faced prison before the charges were dropped.
A small bag of bullets was found in a zip-lock bag in Ryan’s luggage, raising questions about how the US TSA missed them when he went on vacation through Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma.
‘We had no intention of bringing anything to this country. We just tried to pack shorts and flip-flops, and that was all we were worried about bringing,” Watson told Fox News.
Bryan Hagerich (left) and Ryan Watson (right) face 12 years in prison in Turks and Caicos after loose bullets were found in their luggage.
Ryan Watson and his wife Valerie photographed together arriving on vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Ryan was held at Chalk Sound Police Station (pictured) until he posted bail, however he cannot leave the island because his passport was confiscated.
Michael Lee Evans, 72, was granted $20,000 bail and given permission to return to the US due to a medical condition, and reports indicate he is suffering from terminal cancer.
Pennsylvania’s Bryan Hagerich was about to lead He returned to the United States and insists that he had no intention of taking ammunition to the islands.
He said being away from his family has been difficult.
‘As a father, it is my responsibility to provide for my family, protect them and support them in every way imaginable. And for me it’s just been catastrophic,” he said.
Bryan has since missed both of his children’s birthdays and said he is terrified of missing out on his childhood if he is sentenced to the full 12-year sentence.
Each of those arrested could face up to 12 years in prison.
“Twelve years is a long time, and all those special things that you look forward to as a parent, knowing that you potentially couldn’t be there for them, that’s what keeps me up at night,” he said.
Bryan Hagerich (pictured with his wife Ashley and children, Palmer and Catherine) was arrested in February.
Bryan Hagerich, 39, left, was arrested in February, while Ryan Tyler Watson, 40, right, was charged in April, both with possession of ammunition.
Bryan Hagerich, 39, was arrested in February after ammunition was found in his luggage.
Ryan Watson, 40, an avid hunter, said loose hunting bullets were found in his luggage when he and his wife Valerie went on vacation. He still remains on the island.
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 a bachelor party cruise.
‘It never occurred to us to investigate any of these things. And there are so many locals who have been such a blessing and have had such kind hearts.”
The detainees must now argue before the TCI High Court that they were arrested under “exceptional circumstances”, including proving that they have no criminal record, that they had no intention of bringing ammunition to the airport and why a 12-year sentence would be excessive under their cases.
