Oklahoma man detained in Turks and Caicos heading home after fine, sentencing
An Oklahoma man arrested for possessing ammunition in the Turks and Caicos Islands is heading home.
Ryan Watson will avoid jail time but must pay a $2,000 fine – or $500 for each bullet, reports ABC News. He was expected to pay the fine today and return to Oklahoma.
In April, Watson was detained by authorities in the British overseas territory when security agents at the airport found bullets in his luggage. Watson has maintained that the bullets were left in the bad by accident after a hunting trip in the United States.
Possession of ammunition is illegal on the islands.
Watson was initially detained alongside his wife, Valerie, but she was allowed to return home to their children. He was also released from jail but stayed on the islands until his trial and this week's sentencing hearing.
Watson's case is one of several in recent months featuring American tourists caught up in a strict Turks and Caicos law banning the possession of ammunition. The authorities' decision to hold the Watsons and eventually charge Ryan triggered an outpouring of support that has raised nearly $250,000 for their legal defense and expenses.
The law allowed island authorities to sentence violators to a mandatory 12 years in prison. The Turks and Caicos Weekly News reported, however, that the strict sentencing law has been softened after public outcry.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma man detained in Turks and Caicos headed home after sentencing
