NBC10 Boston first reported that an American tourist vacationing in the Turks and Caicos Islands has been charged with possession of ammunition. If convicted, the offense carries a minimum sentence of 12 years in prison, unless the court finds exceptional circumstances.
Three American tourists are currently on bail on firearms and ammunition charges, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Turks and Caicos Islands Attorney General's Office and the Director of Public Prosecutions' Offices.
Consumer Investigative reporter Leslie Gaydos spoke with Therese Fau, the mother of an Indiana man who was released in February after serving an eight-month prison sentence on the island. She is speaking out because she knows there are other Americans who could face a similar fate to her son.
“It was one of the most traumatic times of my life,” Pfau said.
She said she is closely following the story of Americans Ryan Watson and Brian Hegerich, who are currently being held in the Turks and Caicos Islands on charges of ammunition possession.
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Pfau's son, Michael Grimm, was also convicted on the same charges last year.
“It's heartbreaking because I know the pain they're going through,” Pfau said.
Pfau said the family was on holiday in a British overseas territory in August last year when her son accidentally brought ammunition into a bag he had used on a previous trip.
“He didn't have a gun. And, you know, there was no violence involved. So we set the expectation that he could probably get a very large fine.” ,” Pfau said. “Maybe he'll be banned from ever coming back. But once everything started moving, it was a devastating experience.”
She said the family spent more than $100,000 on long-term stays, bail and attorney fees, and was constantly worried about Grimm's safety.
“It was the most difficult time in my life and for my immediate family, and we felt so helpless that there was nothing we could do,” Pfau said.
“I think trying to arrange to see him and talk to him was the biggest barrier in itself,” Pfau added, speaking of her experience with her son in prison on the island. It was certified by the United Nations due to unsanitary conditions. ”
She told Gaydos that she often worried about whether her son was safe and healthy.
Grimm spent more than five months in prison on Grand Turk Island before being released in February. Pfau said she and her son are still processing the traumatic experience.
“We have both sought professional services to help us deal with this trauma and this PTSD, so it's not our fault. We are trying to think about how we can help people in this situation, and how we can make a difference, through any way we can. I don't want anyone else to go through this,” Pfau said.
At a State Department press conference, a representative said of Watson and Hagerich's detention: If a U.S. citizen is arrested, we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance, but in a foreign country, U.S. citizens are subject to the laws of that country, even if those laws differ from those of the United States. Become. ”
On Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas renewed its warning to all travelers to the Turks and Caicos Islands to carefully check their luggage for ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing the United States. .
And the Turks and Caicos Islands Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions issued a statement Wednesday saying the islands' firearms ordinance “requires the Supreme Court to impose mandatory minimum sentences and fines for certain firearms offences. “There is,” he said. It's an exceptional situation. ”
The statement went on to add that in the last two years there have been five separate cases in which the islands' highest court has found exceptional circumstances. Only four of the violators were fined and one was given a prison sentence below the mandatory minimum.
Grimm's eight-month sentence was less than the mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years.
“A total of eight firearms and ammunition charges have been filed in relation to tourists from the United States, three of which are currently pending in court with each defendant out on bail,” the Director of Public Prosecutions said in a statement.
Ryan Watson is one of those three. He was released on bail today until his next hearing.
