American, 31, Sentenced After Bringing Ammunition to Turks and Caicos

Tyler Wenrich, a 911 operator and emergency medical technician from Virginia who was arrested after bringing hunting ammunition to Turks and Caicos in April, is now able to return home.

According to ABC News, NBC News, and CNN, on Tuesday, May 28, Wenrich, 31, was fined $9,00 and sentenced to time served following a three-week jail stay. The sentencing occurred days after Wenrich pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of ammunition for two 9 mm rounds on May 21.

Wenrich received a shorter sentence than the mandatory minimum of 12 years after Justice Davidson Baptiste “cited exceptional circumstances,” in his case, the Turks and Caicos Islands government said in a statement, per ABC News.

Baptiste added that “enforcing the mandatory minimum would have been arbitrary and disproportionate and would not serve the public interest,” ABC News and CNN reported.

PEOPLE has reached out to the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands for comment.

Wenrich previously said he forgot he had the ammunition in his possession while traveling to Turks and Caicos via a cruise ship for a bachelor party, per ABC News.

After his sentencing, the father to an 18-month-old son told reporters outside the court that he was “relieved.”

“A weight has been lifted off my shoulders and my wife, and I’m glad that I get to go home and be with my son again,” said Wenrich, per NBC News.

While speaking to reporters, Wenrich described the court appearance as “emotional.”

“Very emotional, because it’s up and down because he goes through everything. You don’t know if it’s going one way or the other as he’s read through everything, so, so tearing up every time I heard ’18-month-old son,’ and now I’m just relieved at the outcome,” he said, per NBC News.

Wenrich’s sentencing comes days after the release of Bryan Hagerich, a father of two who was arrested in Turks and Caicos in February after hunting ammunition was found in his checked luggage while returning home from a family vacation. Hagerich received a suspended 52-week sentence and a $6,700 fine.

Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Sharitta Grier of Florida, and Michael Lee Evans of Texas have also been charged with similar ammunition charges in Turks and Caicos.

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While all three await sentencing, Watson and Grier remain in the Caribbean, and Evans was allowed to leave due to a medical condition, reports ABC News.