(NewsNation) — For 14 days, an Oklahoma man has lived a nightmare after his vacation to Turks and Caicos ended in terror. Now, Gov. Kevin Stitt is stepping in to help reunite him with his family.
Ryan Watson and his wife, Valerie, visited the islands for a birthday trip earlier this month. But on April 12, as they were about to head home, they were stopped by airport security and escorted to the police station.
‘This is a shakedown’
In an exclusive interview with NewsNation, Stitt said he’s using every political resource available to bring Ryan Watson back home.
“This is a shakedown,” Stitt said. “Our whole delegation is talking to him. We’ve reached out to the British government, so hopefully this will be resolved very quickly; cooler heads will prevail.”
Turks and Caicos Islands is a British territory southeast of the Bahamas.
In an X post, Stitt said he’s sent a letter to Turks and Caicos officials advocating for Ryan Watson’s release.
“They’re loving parents and great Oklahomans — and we need them back home,” he wrote.
Trapped in paradise
Speaking on “Dan Abrams Live” Thursday, Ryan Watson expressed gratitude for locals who helped him post bail and said he appreciates the people he’s met, but he aims to return home.
“We’ve had two different locals put up surety for us, which was necessary for me to secure bail,” he said. “One individual put up their car and the other put up a restaurant. There’s some beautiful people here, but I just want to go home.”
Meanwhile, Valerie Watson, who recently returned to the U.S., told NewsNation that the family won’t be whole again until her husband returns home.
“I have the kids here with lots of questions and wondering when dad’s coming home, and missing daddy, and how long he’s going to be away,” she said. “Them processing their emotions through all of this has been very difficult.”
As the bills mount, the family finds themselves without a resolution.
“He’s so worried about everything, and I just wanted to help him not worry about that as much,” said Jessica Byrd, Ryan Watson’s older sister.
Byrd said she created a GoFundMe page, which has reached nearly $200,000, to help cover legal bills and the cost of living in Turks and Caicos while awaiting sentencing.
“It’s up to $450 a night, she said. “It’s just very, very expensive to live there. I don’t know how anybody does it.”
Ryan Watson’s mother, who’s staying on the island with him, said she bought a bag of nuts for $45.
Meanwhile, Byrd said Watsons’ children, 9-year-old Van and 7-year-old Ellie, are having a difficult time processing life without their dad.
“They’re having a very hard time. And that’s the thing, it’s like, why do this? He didn’t do anything wrong. It’s hard, and that’s all he wants,” she said.
What happened abroad?
Airport authorities claimed to have found ammunition in Ryan Watson’s carry-on luggage. He’s an avid hunter and the bullets were left in the bag from a hunting trip to Texas earlier this year, but a new law has him facing up to 12 years in prison.
Ryan Watson was granted bail Wednesday but is forced to remain in Turks and Caicos.
In the U.S., improperly secured and undeclared ammunition or firearms found by airport security can result in a fine and criminal referral. In Turks and Caicos, lawmakers passed a bill creating a 12-year minimum prison sentence for anyone caught bringing a firearm or ammunition to the islands.
There are no answers to when he’ll be able to return home, and his next court date isn’t for another six weeks on June 7.
Other Americans facing charges
Bryan Hagerich was on vacation in Turks and Caicos with his wife and children when stray hunting ammunition was also discovered in their luggage in February. He was detained by authorities and spent eight days in prison before posting bail.
Now, more than 70 days after his arrest, he remains on the island.
Ryan Watson told “Morning in America” Friday he’s formed a “brotherhood” with other families, moving Hagerich into his Airbnb to support each other.
“We’re all sticking through this together,” Ryan Watson said.