Sharitta Grier, a 45-year-old mother and grandmother from Florida, returned home Thursday for the first time since April, when she was arrested in Turks and Caicos for having stray bullets in the lining of her luggage.
A Turks and Caicos judge on Thursday morning handed down a 23-week suspended sentence for the fifth and latest American to be detained on the islands for having ammunition since February and ordered her to pay a $1,500 fine.
“I’m happy. I’m overwhelmed,” Grier told reporters when she landed in Orlando on Thursday evening, saying she’s most looking forward to spending time with her family and eating “good food.”
She was one of five Americans arrested since February on the islands while coming home from their vacations for the same crime, including Bryan Hagerich, 39, of Pennsylvania; Ryan Watson, 40, of Oklahoma; Tyler Wenrich, 31, of Virginia; and Michael Lee Evans, 72, of Texas.
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Sharitta Grier arrives at Orlando International Airport on Thursday, July 11, 2024. The 45 year-old received a 23-week suspended sentence and must pay a $1,500 fine after being arrested in Turks and Caicos in February for having stray ammo in her luggage. (Larry Paci for Fox News Digital)
Grier does not expect to ever return to Turks and Caicos, though she said she was “very satisfied” with the outcome of her case.
Sharitta Grier told reporters she plans to never return to Turks and Caicos after her ordeal. (Larry Paci for Fox News Digital)
Security found ammo in all five Americans’ bags as they were traveling home from the islands. Now, all five have been allowed to return home after getting suspended sentences and being ordered to pay fines.
Sharitta Grier cries after arriving back home in the U.S. (Larry Paci for Fox News Digital)
Grier was arrested in May for having stray bullets in the lining of her bag after she recently purchased a firearm for her own protection. She previously told Fox News Digital in May that her brother owns a store that she sometimes closes at night and wanted a firearm in case of an emergency.
Sharitta Grier received a 23-week suspended sentence and must pay a $1,500 fine. (Larry Paci for Fox News Digital)
“No intention to hurt anybody or anything. … I’m afraid of it myself. It’s nothing to play around with,” Grier said, adding that she “had no other reason” to own a gun other than for her own protection while closing her brother’s store.
Sharitta Grier addresses the media at Orlando International Airport on Thursday, July 11, 20204. (Larry Paci for Fox News Digital)
She added that she has never fired a gun in her life.
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After her arrest, Grier temporarily lived in a rental home with Watson and Hagerich.
Sharitta Grier hugs family as she arrives at Orlando International Airport on Thursday, July 11, 20204. (Larry Paci for Fox News Digital)
WATCH: Americans support each other after Turks and Caicos arrests
The trio spoke together with Fox News Digital via Zoom and shared how they had become friends over their weeks on the islands awaiting justice.
Sharitta Grier addresses the media at Orlando International Airport on Thursday, July 11, 20204. (Larry Paci for Fox News Digital)
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“It was important for her to have a room,” Watson said of Grier at the time. “After hearing her story and what she went through, being shackled to a chair and having to sleep on the floor … it’s heartbreaking. And we wanted to make sure that she had a safe place, a nice, comfortable bed to sleep in and have some privacy. There was no question, and it was a blessing for us to be able to bring Sharitta into the picture because we’re all … a support system for one another. It’s become a big family.”