After months of negotiations and a bipartisan congressional delegation visit, Ryan Watson has returned home from Turks and Caicos after receiving a suspended 13-week jail sentence for possession of stray bullets.
An Oklahoma father, Ryan Watson, expressed gratitude for his faith and the efforts of local lawmakers after returning home from Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), where he faced 12 years in prison for having four stray bullets in his luggage.
Watson, 40, was arrested in April at the country's main airport after accidentally leaving the ammunition in his carry-on bag. After months of negotiations, involving a bipartisan congressional delegation visit in May, Watson received a suspended 13-week jail sentence and a $2,000 fine on Friday.
American Father Freed after Facing 12-Year Sentence in Turks and Caicos for Carrying Ammo
Watson and his wife, Valerie, appeared on "Fox and Friends" Tuesday, praising their faith and local lawmakers for helping him return home.
"Our faith is so strong, I don’t know if we would have made it through any other way," Valerie said. "I mean the Lord definitely carried us through, and we saw him working in every single aspect, from the very beginning of this entire thing."
American Father Freed after Facing 12-Year Sentence in Turks and Caicos for Carrying Ammo
The couple credited Oklahoma Sens. Markwayne Mullin and James Lankford, along with Gov. Kevin Stitt, for securing Ryan's release.
"They all worked around the clock that very first weekend, and they didn't stop until Ryan set foot back in Oklahoma," Valerie said. "So they worked really hard for us. And, you know, Senator Mullin put together the congregational delegation and it was really effective. I think it put a lot of pressure on TCI to kind of rethink some of the ways that they were handling things down there on the island."
American Father Freed after Facing 12-Year Sentence in Turks and Caicos for Carrying Ammo
Watson explained that he had taken the bag on a hunting trip to Texas last fall but did not recall ever putting the bullets in the bag.
"I didn't realize it, but that duffel bag has a lining, zips out, and they somehow managed to get underneath that lining," Watson said.
American Father Freed after Facing 12-Year Sentence in Turks and Caicos for Carrying Ammo
He emphasized that he did not have a gun and had no intention of bringing ammunition on his vacation.
Turks and Caicos has strict rules and penalties for those carrying ammunition, including a prohibition on keeping, carrying, discharging, or using an unlicensed firearm or ammunition.
Watson expressed his fear of facing 12 years in prison, describing it as "concerning."
"None of it made sense," he said. "It got real concerning real quick."
He attributed his release to God's intervention.
"This is such an answered prayer… I've prayed for this for 70 days now," Watson said. "To see God working this way, it's pretty incredible."
Watson further criticized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for failing to spot the bullets on his way out of the U.S. and the U.S. Embassy in Turks and Caicos for not providing assistance.
"They did nothing… and it really revealed to me that there are probably many other families that are affected abroad that are not receiving any aid or care from the State Department, as we speak."
Despite the ordeal, Watson expressed relief and gratitude for being reunited with his family.
"It's a huge weight lifted, it's a weight that I never thought we would have to carry," Valerie said. "And it just proves that God is a miracle worker, and that he wants to restore and he wants to heal."
Watson's case is among at least five American arrests this year for violating Turks and Caicos' ammunition laws.
In response to the incidents, the country's parliament agreed to revise the ordinance, acknowledging that not all cases are alike and judges should have the flexibility to impose appropriate sentences.
The goal is to uphold the rule of law while differentiating between genuine threats and people who make mistakes.
