An American tourist who turned up in Turks and Caicos with 9mm ammunition in his possession was fined $9,000 and sentenced to the time served waiting for his court date. Tyler Wenrich forgot it was there; the British-run Caribbean island nation has strict gun laws and a 12-year jail term was on the cards. Fortunately, the judge didn't think he was up to anything more than being a dumbass. Justice Davidson Baptiste said that "enforcing the mandatory minimum would have been arbitrary and disproportionate."
The 911 operator and emergency medical technician has remained on the island since being arrested and pleaded guilty on May 21 to two counts of possession of ammunition, for two 9 mm rounds. A judge handed down a three-week prison sentence Tuesday morning — which amounted to time served when factoring in the time Wenrich spent in jail following his arrest. The 31-year-old father can return home once he pays a $9,000 fine.
ABC News reports a steady stream of dumbasses; Wenrich is the fifth so far this year.
Bryan Hagerich — a Pennsylvania father who pleaded guilty to possessing 20 rounds of ammunition — was sentenced on Friday to a suspended 52-week sentence with a fine of $6,700, which he promptly paid and has since returned to the U.S. Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Michael Lee Evans of Texas and Sharitta Grier of Florida have also been charged after ammunition was found in their luggage.
I'm reminded of the famous Cardinal Richelieu quote: "Show me the pockets of any man on the flight from Miami, I will find something in them which will hang him."
