ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando woman detained in the Turks and Caicos Islands for carrying a small amount of ammunition is back in Central Florida after a nearly two-month ordeal that sparked cries from U.S. officials for leniency.
Sharitta Grier, 46, received a 23-week suspended sentence and $1,500 fine and was freed Thursday.
“I’m happy. I am overwhelmed,” Grier told reporters at the Orlando International Airport, adding that she was looking forward to spending time with family and eating some “good food.”
Turks and Caicos officials discovered the ammunition in Grier’s bag during a May 13 search at the Howard Hamilton International Airport in Providenciales. Grier visited the islands for a Mother’s Day vacation with two stray bullets in her luggage, according to the Florida Department of State, which pushed for Grier’s return.
Grier told a U.S. television station she previously had used the bag to carry a gun for self-protection and was unaware the bullets remained there.
Grier faced a sentence of up to 12 years in prison under the British territory’s gun laws. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, along with Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and other officials, called for mercy for Grier and other Americans who they said inadvertently carried ammunition into the country.
“We are thankful and relieved that Ms. Grier is finally on her way home and can put this unfortunate incident behind her,” Byrd said in a prepared statement.
Four other Americans detained on the island for carrying ammunition avoided prison time but had to pay fines.
Americans visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands are urged to carefully check their luggage for “stray ammunition or forgotten weapons” before departing the country, the U.S. Department of State warns in a travel advisory.
Orlando Sentinel’s broadcast partner Spectrum News 13 contributed to this report.
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