Pennsylvania husband reveals Turks and Caicos jail ‘nightmare’ as he faces 12 years for having ammo in his luggage
A Pennsylvania father said he faces a constant “nightmare” as he awaits sentencing for accidentally bringing ammunition into Turks and Caicos.
Bryan Hagerich, 39, a former baseball pro, has spent months in the Caribbean islands after he was arrested in February when hunting bullets were found in his luggage while vacationing with his wife and two young children.
Ahead of his sentencing on Friday – where he faces 12 years behind bars – Hagerich said he endured the “darkest days and nights of my life” on the islands.
“It was nothing short of a struggle, a nightmare,” he said Good morning America.
“Twelve years is a long time, and all those special things you look forward to as a parent, knowing you might not be able to be there, that’s what keeps me up at night.”
Notably, although Hagerich will be sentenced on Friday, the judge has the option to delay their decision for up to fourteen days if they wish.
Bryan Hagerich and his wife, Ashley, say he has endured a “nightmare” since his arrest in February for accidental possession of ammunition, for which he may be sentenced Friday.
The family was visiting Turks and Caicos for the fourth time and said the island is a “special place to us.” Bryan, a former baseball pro, faces 12 years in prison on gun charges
The father-of-two said he and his wife Ashley routinely take their two young children to Turks and Caicos every year, and said this year’s trip might have been their “best yet.”
But Bryan said the nightmare began when he heard his name called over the airport’s loudspeaker system, informing him that his luggage had been selected for random screening.
Airport staff found hunting ammunition in his checked bag that he said was accidentally left over from a recent hunting trip, leading to his arrest within minutes.
The 39-year-old said his arrest at the airport was particularly painful for his family as he was led away from his wife and children in handcuffs, leaving them stunned.
“I remember begging, ‘Can’t we just give these bullets to you, can’t we just pay a fine? It was an honest mistake,” Ashley said.
“It was a firm no, it happened quickly, the kids were crying, just disbelief is probably the best word I can use to describe it.”
Bryan was then taken to a prison on the island, where he spent eight nights in a small cell that he described as “the absolute darkest days and nights of my life.”
Hagerich is one of many American men facing the same charges. The wife of Tyler Wenrich, 31, was arrested on April 20 after two 9mm bullets were found in his luggage, and describes on DailyMail.com the squalid cell in which her husband was left.
“The conditions were terrible,” said Wenrich’s wife Jeriann. “It was basically a cinder block room, it had three little windows, no screens, no air conditioning, it didn’t really have a bed… there was basically nothing in the cell at all.”
“He said he had to use his shoes as a pillow,” she added.
The former baseball pro, who now works for a nursing home provider, said he was terrified at the prospect of missing out on his children’s childhood
Bryan previously told DailyMail.com that being away from his children for months has been ‘catastrophic’
Bryan Hagerich is one of several Americans being held in Turks and Caicos after accidentally bringing ammunition to the islands. Tyler Wenrich, 31, (pictured with wife Jeriann) also faces a lengthy prison sentence after bullets were found in his luggage as he boarded a cruise
Jeriann Wenrich told DailyMail.com about the appalling conditions Tyler was left in for days, describing it as ‘terrible’ where he had to use his shoes as cushions.
The American men – including Oklahoma father-of-two Ryan Watson – have fallen under a tough Turks and Caicos law introduced in 2022 that increased the penalty for possession of firearms and ammunition to 12 years in prison.
After Bryan’s arrest in February, he spent months alone on the island before recently moving into an AirBnB with Watson while they awaited their sentences.
The two men showed off their cramped sleeping accommodation on Good Morning America, with two small single beds next to each other in one room.
Despite their ordeal, Ryan said it was comforting to share the home with someone else going through the same circumstances.
“This is probably the loneliest I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.
‘But to have someone who experiences exactly the same thing as you does, it provides a bit of support.’
In an interview with DailyMail.com the week before his sentencing, Bryan added that despite the support, being away from his family was devastating.
“As a father, it is my responsibility to provide for my family, protect my family and support them in every way imaginable. And for me now, 75 days of not being able to do that, it’s just been catastrophic,” he said.
Bryan recently moved into an AirBnB with Ryan Watson (right), who faces the same charges, and the two men showed off their cramped living quarters while awaiting sentencing
Ryan Watson (pictured with his wife Valerie and their two young children) also faces 12 years in prison in Turks and Caicos after a handful of deer hunting bullets were found in his luggage
Ashley Hagerich, both fathers of two young children, said she and Bryan’s children have been confused and upset about why their father never came home with them.
“The first question I’m asked at the beginning of every day, and the last question I’m asked when I put my kids to bed at night, is, ‘When is my dad coming home?’
Bryan has since missed both of his children’s birthdays and said he is terrified of the prospect of missing their childhood if he is sentenced to the full 12 years in prison.
“Twelve years is a long time, and all those special things that you look forward to as a parent, knowing you might not be able to be there for them, that’s what keeps me up at night,” he said.