Virginian man avoids jail after bringing ammunition to Turks and Caicos

A Virginia man has escaped further foreign jail time after he was already sentenced to three weeks and fined $9,000 for traveling to the Turks and Caicos with ammunition in his bag, local government officials said.

Louisa County resident Tyler Wenrich, 31, was first taken into custody on April 20 when customs officials discovered at least two bullets in his backpack, according to a report.

The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas states on its website it strictly enforces the law that says, “Firearms, ammunition, and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands.” The penalty for being caught with such items is “a minimum custodial sentence of twelve (12) years.”

Wenrich had already spent at least three weeks in custody for the action, and local authorities recognized that time as time served, completing his prison sentence.

“We ended up having to be at immigration for a while, because the cruise line didn’t stamp Tyler’s passport, but we are so happy and so elated that we can actually go home now,” Wenrich’s wife Jeriann Wenrich said, according to the report.

“It’s just been very highs and lows all morning,” she added.

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Tyler Wenrich is the fifth United States citizen to be detained by Turks and Caicos officials on charges related to ammunition in the last few months, the report noted.

Last week, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) celebrated the release of Bryan Hagerich, 39, who had spent three months detained in the island territory after officials discovered ammunition in his luggage.