Bryan Hagerich, a 39-year-old Pennsylvania man, returned home on Friday night after being detained in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) for having stray ammunition in his luggage. Hagerich, a husband, father of two, and former professional baseball player, is among five Americans who have been arrested on the islands since February for this offense, which carries a potential sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
Pa. man who faced 12 years in Turks & Caicos prison gets suspended sentence, will return home https://t.co/X3ksFfjAs7
— J.D. Prose Sr. (@jdprose) May 24, 2024
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Pittsburgh, Hagerich expressed his relief, saying, “My biggest concern is coaching my kids’ baseball games tomorrow, and that is such a relief.” He described his detention as the “hardest time” and the “darkest days” of his life, being separated from his family.
Pennsylvania man returns home after he was detained in Turks and Caicos for ammo in his luggage | Fox News | moral of the story when visiting Turks &Caicos: Check and recheck your luggage to make sure you do not have any ammunition in your bags. https://t.co/NbclaOw7QW
— Joe Irizarry, PI (@JoeInvestigates) May 25, 2024
A TCI judge issued a suspended 52-month sentence to Hagerich on Friday morning after he pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition on the islands. He was also required to pay a $6,500 fine. Hagerich told Fox News Digital that he and his attorneys had made a strong case in his defense following his guilty plea.
Several lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), applauded the decision to release Hagerich, allowing him to return to his family. A bipartisan congressional delegation had visited TCI earlier in the week to urge government leaders to release the detained Americans.
While grateful for his own release, Hagerich emphasized that there are still other Americans detained on the islands, expressing his belief that they “will be home soon.” The cases of the five Americans, which include Ryan Watson, Sharitta Grier, Tyler Wenrich, and Michael Lee Evans, share similarities in that all were arrested while traveling home after security detected ammunition in their luggage.
