An American, arrested in the Turks and Caicos Islands after four rounds of ammunition were found in his luggage, will be spared any prison time, a judge ruled on Friday.
With time served and if he pays a $2,000 fine, or $500 for each round, Ryan Watson could be headed home to Oklahoma later on Friday.
He was arrested in April in the island getaway under the territory’s firearms law raised the specter of a possible 12-year prison sentence.
Two other cases of Americans detained under similar circumstances recently ended with judges granting those men leniency.
In finding that there were exceptional circumstances to justify a no-prison punishment, Justice Lobban Jackson said 12 years behind bars would be “arbitrary and disproportionately” harsh.
The judge also said she considered the statements of more than a dozen character witnesses who vouched for Watson.
