American Father Stuck In Caribbean Jail After Making One Mistake

American Stuck In Turks and Caicos Jail After Airport Staff Found Ammo In His Luggage

American Father Stuck In Caribbean Jail After Making One Mistake

Jordyn M. with Resist The Mainstream reports:

ryan-watson-jail-resist-the-mainstream-2024-truth — IMAGE VIA resistthemainstream.com

An American father, Ryan Watson, 40, finds himself in a precarious legal situation, facing the possibility of a 12-year prison sentence in Turks and Caicos.

This situation arose after authorities discovered ammunition in his luggage upon his return from a vacation with his wife.

The Daily Mail reports that Watson, who was arrested on April 11, endured an extended stay on the island, accompanied by his wife, Valerie, 38. In a recent turn of events, Valerie witnessed the dropping of charges against her on Monday, granting her permission to reunite with their two young children back home.

She endured 11 days facing charges alongside her husband, but had her charges dropped on April 22.

The outlet details the sequence of events that unfolded as the Oklahoma couple proceeded through airport security.

The unraveling began when a small bag containing bullets, neatly packed in a zip-lock bag, was discovered in Ryan’s luggage upon their return trip, a detail that American TSA overlooked during their initial departure.

Authorities detected four rounds of hunting ammunition concealed in Ryan’s carry-on baggage. Both Ryan and Valerie maintain that the presence of the ammunition was inadvertent, with Valerie expressing to CBS News, “We were trying to pack board shorts and flip flops. Packing ammunition was not at all our intent.”

Ryan expressed in an interview prior to his initial court appearance, “My heart sank as soon as I saw the bullets.” He admitted recognizing them from a recent hunting expedition, lamenting, “I had no idea that those were in there.”

The couple’s pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears as officials dismissed Ryan’s assertion of an “innocent mistake.”

Authorities in Turks and Caicos reiterated the gravity of the offense, citing stricter laws implemented in 2022, which stipulated a minimum 12-year sentence for ammunition possession.