An Oklahoma father facing 12 years in prison in the Turks and Caicos Islands after hunting ammunition was found in his luggage has been allowed to return home to his two young children.
Ryan Watson, 40, was arrested in April for firearms offenses after four loose bullets were found at the country’s main airport while he was on holiday with his wife and friends.
After months awaiting his fate, Watson was sentenced Friday to 13 weeks of suspended jail time and a $2,000 fine.
He was seen smiling alongside his wife Valerie after his passport was returned, and Watson reportedly paid the fine and boarded a flight back to Oklahoma City the same day he was sentenced.
Ryan Watson, 40, an Oklahoma father facing 12 years in prison in the Turks and Caicos Islands after hunting ammunition was found in his luggage, was allowed to return home to his two young children.
Watson, 40, was sentenced Friday to 13 weeks of suspended jail time and a $2,000 fine.
Watson’s case was one of several similar arrests made on the islands in a short space of time, and Pennsylvania father Bryan Hagerich also escaped prison last month and was fined $6,700.
Tyler Wenrich, charged in April after two 9mm bullets were found in his luggage as he departed the cruise, was also freed last month after being fined $9,000.
After Watson’s sentencing hearing this week, the judge reportedly warned other American travelers to double check their luggage before entering vacation islands.
According TCI News Linea Turks and Caicos news outlet, the nation’s parliament also voted unanimously to approve a review of its ammunition laws after “a lot of criticism” from U.S. lawmakers.
Edwin Astwood, parliamentary opposition leader, said The TCI Sun that the move was a “critical step in ensuring our legal system is fair and flexible.”
Watson’s case was one of several similar arrests made across the islands in a short space of time, and Pennsylvania father Bryan Hagerich (pictured with his family) also escaped jail time last month and was fined $6,700.
Tyler Wenrich, 31 (pictured with his wife) was also arrested on the same charges in April after bullets were found in his luggage while getting off a cruise ship. He was released last month after paying a $9,000 fine.
Ryan was arrested in April along with his wife Valerie (pictured together arriving on holiday in Turks and Caicos), and faced a 12-year prison sentence that was graciously reduced to a fine this week.
Ryan is seen kissing his wife after being released on Friday
“It recognizes that not all cases are the same and that our judges must have the ability to consider all factors and impose sentences that are truly fair and appropriate,” Astwood said.
He added that the policy changes are aimed at differentiating between criminals who intend to do harm and tourists who make a mistake.
This was exactly what Watson said happened to him when he spoke to DailyMail.com while still awaiting sentencing, which he and Valerie said was nothing more than an “innocent mistake.”
Ryan said he was mainly “confused” by the strict punishment he faced, as the loose deer ammunition was not accompanied by a firearm, and felt it was “clearly an honest mistake.”
Ryan Watson previously told DailyMail.com that he was stunned by the charges against him, which he believed were an “honest mistake.”
In an interview before her first court hearing, Valerie, who was later released with her two young children, said the prospect of facing 12 years in prison left her “terrified.”
The couple (left) stayed on the island with old friends (right) to celebrate Ryan’s 40th birthday before the bullets were found.
Valerie added that Turks and Caicos officials appeared to take a “very different approach” toward the U.S. TSA, which failed as they departed on vacation from Oklahoma.
“It’s an innocent mistake, there was no intention to do harm with it,” he said. “It feels hard and we’re just trying to understand.”
They said even Turks and Caicos airport staff had difficulty finding the bullets initially, and that Ryan’s bag had to be put through an X-ray machine twice for the ammunition to be discovered.
The ammo had been accidentally left in the bag during a recent hunting trip, so Ryan said he’s still wracking his brain since he normally never uses that bag for hunting gear.
“I use that bag mostly for street clothes and my hunting gear would be in another bag, so I don’t know,” he said.
“I was in the jail cell for 48 hours trying to think, and I can’t remember putting them there.”
Bryan Hagerich’s son is seen holding a welcome home sign for his father after he was released last month and fined.
When Bryan Hagerich was freed, he called his ordeal “the hardest of my life” and said his freedom felt like “the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.”
“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.
“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.”