Bryan Hagerich, a 39-year-old father of two from Pennsylvania, arrived at the Pittsburgh airport on Friday night after being released from custody in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), where he had been detained since February for possessing stray ammunition in his luggage. Hagerich, a former professional baseball player, is one of five Americans arrested on the islands for this offense which carries a punishment 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
Upon his return, Hagerich expressed his relief, stating, “Its just amazing how, just in the matter of 12 hours, looking at 12 years to now. My biggest concern is coaching my kids’ baseball games tomorrow, and that is such a relief.” He described his detention as the “hardest time” of his life, being separated from his family.
On Friday morning, a TCI judge issued a suspended 52-month sentence to Hagerich, who pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition on the islands. He was also ordered to pay a $6,500 fine. Hagerich told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he and his attorneys had made a strong case in his defense after his guilty plea.
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
Several lawmakers, including a bipartisan congressional delegation that visited TCI on Monday, advocated for the release of the detained Americans. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) expressed his gratitude to the judge for sending Hagerich home and to the U.S. State Department for their critical role in the process.
While thankful to be reunited with his family, Hagerich stressed that there are still other Americans detained on the islands, whom he believes “will be home soon.” The cases of the five Americans, including Ryan Watson, Sharitta Grier, Tyler Wenrich, and Michael Lee Evans, share similarities, as all were arrested while traveling home after security detected ammunition in their luggage.
