American arrested in Turks and Caicos after ammo found in luggage out on bail, faces June court date

Ryan Watson, the American vacationer who’s going through a doable 12-year jail time period in Turks and Caicos after ammo was allegedly found in his luggage by airport safety, is out on bail.

Watson, 40, secured a $15,000 bond on Wednesday after spending two nights in jail. The Oklahoma father of two should keep on the island and has to verify in each Tuesday and Thursday on the Grace Bay Police Station whereas his case strikes ahead. Watson’s spouse, Valerie Watson, shouldn’t be going through any fees and was in a position to return residence to Oklahoma on Tuesday.

His subsequent courtroom date is scheduled for June 7.

Watson’s bond comes as Tyler Wenrich, a 31-year-old from Virginia, was charged with the identical depend of possession of ammunition earlier this week, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police introduced Thursday. In keeping with police, Wenrich was allegedly discovered with ammo when he went by a safety checkpoint after arriving on the island of Grand Turk from a cruise ship on Tuesday.

Bryan Hagerich, one more American who was additionally arrested for allegedly having ammo in his baggage again in February, goes earlier than a choose Could 3, with sentencing prone to occur shortly after. Ryan Watson is hoping his case might be expedited primarily based on the result of Hagerich’s case.   

A GoFundMe web page arrange for the Watson household had, as of Thursday night, raised greater than $175,000. 

“I am fully humbled and really feel so extremely blessed that individuals have been responding in such a strong manner,” Ryan Watson advised CBS Information. “I’m nonetheless very prayerful that the State Division might help us discover a answer to get again residence.”

Valerie Watson beforehand advised CBS Information the ammo was dropped at the island by mistake.

“Packing ammunition was by no means our intent,” she stated.

Following a CBS Information report on Ryan Watson, the State Division on Wednesday despatched a tweet warning American vacationers touring to Turks and Caicos to verify their baggage for stray ammunition and firearms.  

Turks and Caicos authorities “strictly implement all firearms-and-ammunition-related legal guidelines,” the State Division wrote. “Declaring a weapon in your baggage with an airline provider doesn’t grant permission to deliver the weapon into the Turks and Caicos Islands and can lead to your arrest.”

Possessing a gun or ammunition is prohibited in Turks and Caicos. In February, a courtroom order mandated that even vacationers within the strategy of leaving the nation, who had beforehand been in a position to simply pay a nice, are topic to jail time.

At the least one gun rights group is urging its members to not journey to Turks and Caicos due to the latest arrests. 

“To all U.S. gun homeowners, Do Not Journey to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Abroad Territory positioned southeast of the Bahamas, and in case you have already made plans, rethink your vacation spot,” the Second Modification Affiliation wrote.

Kris Van Cleave

Kris Van Cleave is CBS Information’ senior transportation and nationwide correspondent primarily based in Phoenix.