AVirginia man arrived at the Richmond airport on Thursday after he was released from custody on the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), where he had been detained for having ammunition in his luggage.
Tyler Wenrich – a 31-year-old husband and father – is one of five Americans arrested and detained on the islands since February for having stray ammunition in their luggage, a crime punishable for up to 12 years on the islands.
The other detained Americans are Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma; Sharitta Grier, 45, of Florida; Bryan Hagerich, 39, of Pennsylvania; and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas.
Wenrich was greeted by applause as he touched down at Richmond International Airport after spending three weeks in jail and paying $9,000 in fines for unknowingly possessing ammunition in his luggage while visiting the island nation.
“It feels good to be back with my wife and my kid,” Wenrich told reporters after embracing gleeful friends and family. “I’m just exhausted and honestly happy to be back.”
Wenrich said that his imprisonment and eventual release back to the U.S. was a “roller coaster,” thanking his friends, family and elected officials.
