Police Arrest Male Tourist With Firearm At Airport
[Updated] A police response was seen at the airport this morning [Oct 11], and the police have confirmed that they arrested a male tourist who was in possession of a firearm.
Police Media Manager Dwayne Caines said, “Police responded to a report of a visitor to the island who was found in possession of a firearm at the LF Wade International Airport.
“The man and the weapon were taken into police custody and a full investigation is underway. It should be noted at no time was the firearm wielded,” Mr Caines added.
The person was taken from the airport by police at around 12 noon today, and unofficial reports suggest the man had the gun in his bag when he was caught with it by airport staff while trying to leave the island.
When asked about any additional details, Mr Caines said the matter is under investigation.
Update 1.10pm: Police confirm the man arrested is a 52-year-old man from Utah.
Update 2.46pm: The formal police statement said, “Police responded to a report of a visitor to the island who was found in possession of a firearm at the L.F. Wade International Airport around 12 noon Sunday, October 11th.
“The 52 year old Utah man and the weapon were taken into police custody. It should be noted that at no time was the firearm wielded. A full investigation is underway.”
Update Oct 12, 10.55am: This man appears to be in Magistrates Court this morning, with the case now getting underway, we should have a court report on this matter later today.
Update 12.46pm: The tourist, Terry Jasper, has been sentenced to 10 days in prison. The court report is here.
Isn’t the tourist kinda doin us a favor taking it off island? Unless it was potentially used in a crime here in Bermuda you should let it go and not waste money on it. If the tourist is American, they probably didn’t even know they had it. #merica
The bigger issue is that in all likely hood this gentleman brougght the weapon into Bermuda. Who’s to say that he didn’t bring more than one weapon to the island? Those in charge of security evidently missed this on the way in which is problematic in itself .
He will likely get let off like the previous cases, just plead ignorance.
Wrong again.
You’re right, he was given the same number a local would have gotten, 10, ok so it was days as opposed to years, but hey sounds pretty fair.
You were wrong but still can’t take it.
Well if that’s the case then it’s a customs issue
If indeed the investigation shows that it was one of the many he had at home, this is more than a customs issue locally. How would he have passed through security in the US and boarded the plane with this.
So quick to make excuses.
First of all they did not say he was leaving! As i read, he is a visitor TO the island! News for you all this is not the first time a visitor has brought a weapon (gun) to the island. It has been happened before! However, most people need a gun licence to carry a gun, thus he should know that it is illegal for him to carry it first on the plane and then into the island! I wonder what airport he was travelling from?
I Stand corrected he was leaving the island! Wow what the devil, Good work by the Security still my statement stands he knew better WestGate for him!
“This morning the Court heard that Mr Jasper owns dozens of guns back in the United States, and upon being found with the gun he apparently told local officials it was a “stupid mistake”, and didn’t know it was in his bag.”
Maybe it was used in a crime and he was removing the evidence………
Rules are rules. If it were a Bermudian in America they’d get prison time, then be deported and blocked from entering the States ever again. I don’t know why some of you think Americans deserve special treatment.
Because we need to treat Americans as royalty or else they won’t come back. America seriously needs to be knocked of their high horse.
What high horse are you speaking of? Two failed wars in the middle east that have destabilized the entire middle east and resulted in ISIS? A government trillions of dollars in debt with another looming government shutdown? An America mostly owned by China? I am well sure that America has been knocked off their high horse.
According da fella, ”ain’t dat de truf” ?
@ Ash ànd the others it was a bit of “sarcasm”
I notice that tourists get their cabins searched and typically a $1,500 fine for small amounts of marijuana.
Police can’t search a house without a warrant, and if they catch a local kid with a small amount of marijuana he usually gets an absolute or conditional discharge.
Sadly they don’t need a warrant…if you get caught with drugs any amount they can search your property. Heck they don’t even need a good reason to search your person anymore.
They need a warrant to search your house. If you get caught with drugs they might be able to get a warrant.
They don’t need a warrant to search a cruise ship cabin.
And tourists usually get fines, locals often get discharged.
Check the PACE act. They don’t need a warrant to search anything.
You’re wrong again. You must enjoy it.
Again? I proved you wrong last time and I can do it again. Fall back. I don’t enjoy it either.
The PACE Act still requires a warrant for search of a house. If you think differently, point us to the section of the Act. Prove serengeti wrong.
‘radical’ above is right. Tourists can go out for the day, come back, and their cabin has been searched without a warrant. In the same circumstances the police would need a warrant to search a house.
Saying “they don’t need a warrant to search anything” is just the usual ill-informed nonsense.
It’s amazing how many times Americans plead ignorance and get a slap on the wrist. There have been several instances when tourists have been caught with guns, bullets, etc and get a police caution. Ignorance of the law is no defense, they should check what the local laws are before they travel. Furthermore, license or no not, they should know they can’t take a weapon unsecured onto a plane.
great. Now we can all pay approx $2328 to house this guy for 10 days.
Sure taught him a lesson!
It will be MUCH more then that after 2017 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good thing he wasn’t a disgruntled Postal worker or deranged University student.
Or even a deranged blogger paid by the plp
let me tell you how this is going to go….. he will apologies, it was an accident…..it was in his bag unknowingly…. it was not his intention……The Bermuda govt would apologize for inconveniencing him…. mean while we the locals will continue to argue about just how guns are entering our shores..
I think customs are the ones that need a reprimand. Afterall, they let this gun in under their nose!
Why arent we screening every bag that lands? Oh I know…laziness and lack of funds….
Every single weapon that finds its way into Bermuda is let in under the nose of Customs. They’re responsible for border control, not the police. Funnily enough, we never seem to hear a peep out of them regarding gun crime and their plan for tackling it. Do they even have one?
You must enjoy talking nonsense.
Will he be on the stop list?
Yes he should be on the stop list. In fact he better be on the stop list. The white hater should not be on the stop list as he was only giving his point of view. This guy was breaking the law case closed.
Let’s see if there are still two types of justice applicable for this offense, just as in the past!
I’m sure that at the very least he’ll get a serious dressing down which will be well deserved .
My question is , what caused him to pack a fire arm to come to our ‘wonderful , safe and crime free paradise’ ? I mean , everyone knows how wonderful we are out here and that we have no crime .
(ok , I know sarcasm isn’t too well recognized around here )
Who cares if there’s crime here or not (it’s irrelevant and of course there’s crime here like another place in the world) the fact of the matter is a gun is no use to you (unless you plan on killing people) and not to mention IT’S ILLEGAL IN BERMUDA!
So I wonder how much time an AVERAGE Bermudian would get for this crime.
And with ALL the boats and people that will be gracing our shores in the next 2 years, Mmmmmmm.
I wonder what would happen if you were to ever post something of any use or interest.
so how did he get it out of USA and into Bermuda in the 1st place?
The US does not screen all checked baggage for guns. There are other security systems, such as matching passengers and bags, that would allow someone to arrive here with a gun in checked baggage. Bermuda also doesn’t screen all bags for guns.
People in Utah carry guns everywhere… it’s like an iPod or spare pare of underwear. Sometimes they don’t even think about it, especially if they haven’t left the US much.
“Bermuda also doesn’t screen all bags for guns”
you have NO idea what you are talking about!!
They don’t screen all incoming bags!!
They don’t really screen any incoming bags in Bermuda. They come from the plane to the bag belt with (maybe) a going over by the sniffer dogs. Unless you get caught on the way out by a customs officer anything that makes it on the plane potentially makes it into Bermuda.
This is especially true with tourists as long as you don’t give customs a reason to be suspicious.
Not the first time this has happened. Several years ago a man was stopped after the X-ray unit identified a gun in his checked baggage. He admitted the gun belonged to him, but was not aware it was in the side pocket of the suitcase. US security did not pick up on this when he left the States, which just shows how easy it is to bring firearms into the Island.
Try telling them you didn’t remember your prescribed legal medical cannabis was in your bag, like the sickly little old lady they gave 30 days in prison until the outcry, then they just robbed her.
Probably on a plane if he had a return ticket.
Dah……………………….
So a lady smuggles 80 pounds of broken glass out …………………………………..
He’s a white male. Are you seriously asking how did he get through? He doesn’t fit any stereotypes so they left him alone.
So you mean I can use my race card on this one?
He got 10 days . Are you happy , or silenced now ?
And I can assure you that that 10 days will rattle him a lot more than the 15 years given to the ‘local yoof’ who consider it a badge of honour rather than a punishment.
I think we’d all be shocked if you didn’t use the race card ok.
I hate autocorrect OJ haha
Man I guess TSA isnt that strict in UTAH
So he was able to bypass security in the US AND Bermuda?….O my…Things that make you say hmmmmmmm….
Or he was removing it from the island (might it have been used in an offence and needed removed to prevent the risk of it being used for evidence, etc?)
Ultimately, we don’t know yet.
Speculation is fun though…
Removing from the island? Why when you could just chuck it into the sea?
Easier just to throw it over the wall on the Causeway or Flatts Bridge.
Also when flying in the US as long as it is sealed in a box it can go as checked baggage in the planes hole.
No baggage is x-rayed per se upon arrival in Bermuda but leaving it is.
Great day to all.
Shame if that were to be the case for a 52 year old man to get caught up in something like that.
If he’s removing evidence, that’s a million times worse, that means he should be jailed for disturbing evidence of a crime scene.
@J Starling, that makes no sense. The same weapons are swapped around with the various criminals, whether they are used in an offence or not. Why smuggle it out of the island, when he coule just pitch it?
My take on this is he was removing it from the island. I don’t think he could have gotten past US security or Bermuda customs when he arrived. However if it was loaded in his luggage….give me a break. Take the gun, fine him and send him home. Who cares if he returns to Bermuda again. I know I would not like to be on the plane with him or staying in the same hotel.
He didn’t necessarily arrive with it.
Do ya think he is going to come all the way to Bermy to pay thousands for a gun he can buy for $250 at Walmart?….keep it real
Of course not. Think outside the box a bit.
It’s most likely that he brought it himself but it’s not the only possibility.
Probably sold the others and couldn’t sell this one.
Not necessarily by highly likely that he did.
Wonder how the comments would be if it was,a young man from Brooklyn.
Stop stereotyping Onion Juice.
Hitman?!?……. #utahhitman
With a vast ocean surrounding Bda,I doubt highly he is taking it off island to dispose of.
It obvious that the TSA,is lacking and providing a false sense of security.
I’m not surprised; TSA probably isn’t really looking for guns per se. They are more interested in things that are dangerous to aircraft in flight like explosives, inflammable material and compressed cylinders.
People with guns in checked bags is probably a lot more common than most think within the US where many states have no restrictions on licenses firearms.
Probably a case of ignorance to the law of Bermuda or an honest mistake by the owner; after all he is from Utah where the right to bear arms is pretty widely practiced.
Our guy will probably get a fine and lose his gun.
Can I just say that Harry Buttle is my favourite superhero in any film ever and I love it!
The Ministry of Information has duly noted your comments in triplicate.
… I like Misty Sarcasm, she’s a gas…
Quick to take a bottle of shampoo from a passenger, but a gun is A-OK!!!
How many times does it have to said here.
Gun in secured case.
Ammo separate.
5000 times a day it is done in the US on flights with registered gun owners (and yes with unregistered.
As long as it is declared it will travel in the belly of the craft; In the luggage.
It’s pre-cleared so when they fly from the US to Bermuda it is not screened again because it is tagged.
It gets pulled and dumped on a carrosel and you pick it up.
Taking a gun out of Bermuda?
Please.
Move on.
TSA missed it coming in. Perfectly OK to transport a gun in checked baggage BTW. TSA is not going to check claim tag on a bag. Not responsible to enforce Bermuda laws.
Good for Bermuda security catching it on the way out but whole thing is a storm in a swizzle pitcher.
Check gun registration to be sure it is legit to passenger & let him go with warning on local gun laws.
Got it in one!
Most people here don’t realize how many people carry in the States. I bet this guy never even thought about having a weapon with him.
Believe it or not people who carry aren’t always going to shoot someone…..
When I go anywhere I can tell you that some form of protection is available. Better to have and not need than not to have..
But I bet if it was someone from Brooklyn this conversation would be different.
I own guns in the US. A few facts:
1. It is perfectly legal in the US to have a gun in your checked baggage if you have a local carry permit at the origin and destination (if the locality even requires a carry permit). It must be in a locked case and declared to the airline at check-in. Ammo can be placed in checked bags without declaring it to TSA – as I did when I bought my wife ammo for Christmas. Ammo can set off explosive detectors, so bags with ammo are often inspected.
2. TSA does not inspect all bags for guns. As someone else pointed out, TSA is looking for explosives, not guns, since guns are generally legal to carry in checked bags.
3. TSA does not inspect all bags. At some airports, baggage is simply matched to the passenger – if the passenger doesn’t fly, the bag doesn’t fly. Some pre-9/11 airports just don’t have enough space to install the screening equipment.
Bottom line: Bermuda can’t depend on TSA to keep guns off the island. If you want to stop guns, it requires x-raying all checked bags upon arrival.
” It is perfectly legal in the US to have a gun in your checked baggage if you have a local carry permit at the origin and destination”
Bingo……it is legal, if you have a permit at the origin and destination. He certainly did not have a permit at the destination (i.e. Bermuda), thus according to you, his actions were illegal under US law.
You bought your wife ammo for Christmas?
Maybe there legal in utah,and he didn’t know the law here.
Maybe he bought the gun in as protection to facilitate a deal , who knows ?
Or maybe that’s the one he couldn’t sell.
As usual, a load of speculation with absolutely no facts to base it on from a bunch of people who get super paranoid at the mere mention of the word GUN.
Well tell that to the families of the latest University victims.
Or the families of victims HERE in Bermuda who’s lives have been taken as a result of gun violence.
We are not talking about a crazy person or criminal here.
When you are in the US, particulalry western states, you have no idea how many people around you have concealed weapons on them. Nobody knows who has what. Nobody feels threatened. Nobody lets on that they have a gun. There is no need to.
A gun by itself is not a dangerous item. In the wrong hands it is.
Wow a comment where you are not the victim!
Wondering if the tool was the only thing that he brought in on his trip. He his a tourist he is old and he is probably white. Customs only harrass young bermudians everybody else walks straight threw them doors. Don’t believe me next time u inline check it out for yourself. 150 people on the plane six young bermudians on the flight and all six of us was searched not one tourist was searched
Welcome to reality, aint new your father, grandfather and great grandfather probably experienced racial profiling.
Boring
is that not a tiny bit dumb trying to bring a weapon through an airport these days?
was he looking 4 his wife in bda lol
This is how things will go …. he will apologies, it was an accident…..it was in his bag unknowingly…. it was not his intention……The Bermuda govt would apologize for inconveniencing him…. meanwhile we the locals will continue to argue about just how guns are entering our shores..
Very True !
Except that’s not what actually happened.
If the police and criminals have guns . I want one too.
He gets 10 days at the expense of Bermuda.A warning would have yielded the same result along with a chance of him returning someday to spend thousands on another vacation.
He won’t be returning now. Furthermore, none of his friends will visit either. Possile tens of thousands in lost revenue.
Great call there Judge.
Maybe All his friends, as well as himself…would return… without the product….
Not withstanding this was a stupid mistake on his part for not checking his bag, as a Bermudian currently visiting Utah right now, and seeing the endless deer carcasses on tops of hunting jeeps, this is the way of life here. Hopefully his experience and media coverage will prevent future occurrences like this.