American arrested in Turks and Caicos Islands says it's unclear whether State Department was on 'American side' or 'Turkish side'

Bryan Hagerich, a Pennsylvania father of two, has been home for nearly two weeks after being arrested and detained for more than 100 days in the Turks and Caicos Islands for having ammunition lost in his luggage at an airport on the islands.

Hagerich, like four other Americans arrested for the same thing since February, did not know the ammunition was in his suitcase when he prepared to return home from a vacation with his family, but he had to argue his way out of 'a minimum of 12. one year sentence for this crime, it doesn't matter.

A judge ultimately ordered the 39-year-old former baseball professional to pay a $6,500 fine and allowed him to return home. Today, Hagerich denounces a lack of support from the State Department and what he describes as “anti-American sentiment” among TCI government officials – although he says residents have done their best to be kind and helpful.

“I was not contacted by the State Department once I was detained for over two months, I think it was over 70 days. Once I was contacted initially, it “This was after the story gained national media attention,” Hagerich told Fox News Digital. . “…An individual [with the State Department] who arrived on the island felt more or less like a check-a-box type exercise. It was clear in their minds that we had committed a crime. We should basically go to jail for this. »

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Hagerich also recalled that a U.S. State Department official joked, “Why don't you just get on a boat? If you show up on American soil, they have to let you back.”

“Why don't you just get on a boat? If you show up on American soil, they have to let you back.”

— Bryan Hagerich, recalling a State Department official's joke

Hagerich said the department's handling of his situation “begs the question”: “Which side of the table are they on?” Are they on the American side or the Turkish side?

“They really didn’t have anything to offer,” he said.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Department, as well as U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens at home. 'stranger.

Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained in a foreign country, the State Department seeks immediate access to visit them, the spokesperson added.

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When a U.S. citizen is arrested abroad, the State Department stands ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance, the spokesperson said, emphasizing that U.S. citizens are generally subject to the laws of a foreign country when they go there, even if these laws differ from those of the country. UNITED STATES.

For privacy reasons, the department did not provide further comment on the Americans recently arrested in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Hagerich also took issue with what he described as “anti-American sentiment” on the part of TCI officials who oversaw his case. Prosecutors compared him to an American murderer and Brittney Griner, he said.

“They need to consider a different approach to solving this problem.”

—Bryan Hagerich

“Quite honestly, they're doing a better job of capturing, you, American fathers, American mothers, grandmothers, than they are their own people. [committing crimes]”Hagerich said. “Looking back and thinking about the local violence they have on the island, they need to consider a different approach to solving this problem. I can honestly share that 95% of the daily workers on the island have been extremely supportive of us. »

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Since February, five other Americans have been arrested in the Turks and Caicos Islands for having bullets in their luggage. Two of them, including Ryan Watson of Oklahoma and Sharitta Grier of Florida, still face sentencing.

One day, a local police officer told Hagerich at the police station while he was being recorded: “I can't believe you're still here. It has to be a money grab. It has to be political,” Hagerich recalls.

“We went on vacation. Our biggest concern was making sure the kids had their swimsuits, sweatshirts and sunscreen,” Hagerich said. “He wasn't looking for travel alerts. I didn't think we were going into an area in place where we would feel unsafe.”

Michael Wenrich, a father from Virginia, was also arrested for having ammunition in his luggage – in his case, just two stray bullets falling into the lining of his bag. He was released last week and fined $10,000.

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“There’s still so much crime on this island that obviously it’s not deterring people,” Wenrich said. “I think tourists and islanders would benefit if they could re-evaluate how these laws are written for cases where people do not intend to commit criminal acts.”

Wenrich, unlike Hagerich, said he was immediately put in touch with the State Department once he was arrested because his father came to his defense.

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“As the process went on, they stayed in touch. I felt like we kind of had to push harder to get their help,” he said of the ministry. “I was lucky enough to have one of the representatives at my sentencing arguments hearing, which was good, just so they could see how the process works, hear the arguments and understand how disorganized this courtroom can be I don't know what they did behind the scenes.

Both Hagerich and Wenrich thanked state and federal lawmakers, as well as friends and family, for their assistance in helping them return home.