An American father is facing 12 years in prison in Turks and Caicos after ammunition was found in his luggage as he returned home from a vacation with his wife.
Ryan Watson has remained on the island for weeks following his arrest on April 11 alongside his wife Valerie, who saw her charges dropped on Monday as she was allowed to return home to their two young children.
The couple said they were passing through airport security when four rounds of hunting ammo was found in Ryan’s carry-on, which they claim were left by accident.
‘We were trying to pack board shorts and flip flops,’ Valerie told CBS News. ‘Packing ammunition was not at all our intent.’
Ryan Watson and his wife Valerie (pictured together arriving at their Turks and Caicos vacation) were arrested on April 11 after Turks and Caicos airport staff found ammunition in Ryan’s luggage
Ryan, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, admitted the ammo was his but insisted it was accidentally left in his bag, in what he described as a ‘bonehead mistake’
After weeks stuck on the Caribbean islands, cameras captured the moment Valerie was reunited with the couple’s two young children in Oklahoma
Valerie said she and her husband enjoyed a picturesque vacation for a friend’s birthday on the Caribbean islands, but their trip quickly ‘went from what was supposed to be a dream vacation to a nightmare.’
A small bag of bullets in a zip-lock bag were found in his luggage, which US TSA had missed on their departing flight, which Ryan said in an interview before his first court hearing that he ‘recognized’ immediately from a recent deer hunting trip.
‘They were hunting ammunition rounds for white tail deer, and I recognized them and thought, “what a bonehead mistake,’ he said. ‘I had no idea that those were in there.’
The couple were forced to remain on the island as their passports were seized, as Ryan said officials brushed off his pleas that it was a ‘complete innocent mistake.’
Despite their insistence that the ammunition was accidentally left from a previous hunting trip, Turks and Caicos prosecutors maintained that the crime is a serious offense in the nation. In 2022, the nation passed stricter laws that mandated a 12-year minimum sentence for ammunition possession.
Valerie through tears that when she heard the mandatory sentence, she was ‘immediately terrified, because we can’t be in prison for 12 years, we have kids at home.’
Ryan and Valerie (right) were in Turks and Caicos for a birthday
The Oklahoma couple said the ordeal is draining them emotionally and financially, as Ryan said it is something they may ‘never recover from’
In an interview before their first court hearing, Valerie said the possibility of facing 12 years in prison left her ‘terrified’ because they have two young children
Ryan was held in the Chalk Sound police station (pictured) until he posted bail, however he is unable to leave the island as his passport was seized
She spent 11 days on the island alongside her husband, but saw her charges dropped on April 22 and was allowed to return to their family in Oklahoma.
On Tuesday, cameras captured the moment she broke down in tears as she hugged her children again for the first time in weeks.
‘I’ve been thinking about this moment for a while, and I didn’t know when it was going to happen. I was prepared to also be arrested yesterday,’ she told KOCO.
‘I don’t know if I even have words to describe it, just getting to hold them again. It just filled my momma heart and made me so happy.
‘It just gives me a lot of comfort knowing that I get to be here with them now, but my wife heart is still breaking because Ryan is not with me.’
Valerie said she is still fighting to have her husband released from his criminal charges, with several prominent Oklahoma politicians including Governor Kevin Stitt and Senator Markwayne Mullin also lending their support.
In a letter to Turks and Caicos officials on April 16, Stitt explained that Ryan is an ‘avid outdoorsman’, and that leaving the ammunition in his bag was an oversight, not an intentional attempt to break the law.
Senator Mullin’s office has also said it has been in contact with Watson’s family, and is working to secure his freedom and flight back home.
‘We know that God’s still working and he’s working through us,’ Valerie added.
The couple (pictured following their arrests on the island) have received support from several prominent Oklahoma politicians including Governor Kevin Stitt and Senator Markwayne Mullin
As she fights to bring her husband home, Valerie said she has only made it through the ordeal because she believes ‘God’s still working and he’s working through us’
However, they said Ryan’s extended stay and legal bills are financially draining their family, which he said they may ‘never recover from.’
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the couple with the costs, which at the time of writing had exceeded $106,000.
Ryan’s social medias also show his passion for the outdoors, as he is seen riding horses and embracing his family in cowboy hats.
In September 2023, US officials issued a travel alert specifically warning Americans about bringing firearms and ammunition into Turks and Caicos.