TCI News
The Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board Welcomes New Team Members
#Providenciales, September 21, 2018 – Turks and Caicos – The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board recently welcomed five new team members 
namely Sharissa Lightbourne, Elisha Jennings, Yanike Lee and Jennifer Pardo (all based in Providenciales) and Shaleeya Richardson (based in Grand Turk).
Sharissa Lightbourne joins the team at the Tourist Board as the Statistical Officer. Ms. Lightbourne is a Grand Turk native and 2005 graduate of the Helena Jones Robinson High School. She continued her education at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College where she earned an Associate Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2007. Her educational pursuit continued at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL where she majored in Computer Information Sciences and earned a Bachelor Degree in 2010. Ms. Lightbourne has extensive community involvement and professional experience and most recently served as the administrative officer at The Office of the Complaints Commission.
Elisha Jennings has joined the team as the Senior Public Relations Officer. Ms. Jennings is a native of Providenciales and graduated from the Clement Howell High School in 2005. She completed tertiary education at Johnson and Wales University in North Miami, FL where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing in 2010. Upon returning to the Turks and Caicos Islands, she gained notable experience in the private sector in public relations, marketing, sales, revenue management and hospitality. In 2014 Ms. Jennings completed training to obtain the Certified Revenue Management Executive designation by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. Ms. Jennings is also a Star Awards Manager of the Year nominee and was most recently employed as the Reservations Manager at the Windsong Resort. With a passion for mentoring and empowering young people, Ms. Jennings currently serves as the Youth Director at the Jericho Baptist Church.
The Tourist Board is also happy to welcome Yanike Lee to its team as Executive Assistant. Ms. Lee has an impressive professional record having held previous roles in the areas of accounting, office administration and customer service in the private sector. Ms. Lee graduated from the Clement Howell High School in 2005 and then continued her studies at the Turks & Caicos Islands Community College where she earned an Associate Degree in Hospitality Studies in 2008. She later attended the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies in 2012. Not only is Ms. Lee academically and professionally driven, she is also actively involved in community programs and has served as Treasurer for the TCI Volleyball Federation since 2016.
Jennifer Pardo, the Tourist Board’s new Marketing Executive, was born and raised in the island of Grand Turk. Ms. Pardo has a record of academic excellence and attended the Ona Glinton Primary School where she became the top performing GSAT student in the Turks and Caicos in 2006. She then went onto the Helena Jones Robinson High School where she became the top performing CXC student in 2011. In 2013 Ms. Pardo received an Associate degree in Business Administration with honors from The Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, Grand Turk campus and was the top performing Business Student in the College. In 2016 she received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with honors from King’s College London and in 2017 earned a Masters degree in Advertising and Marketing with honors from Leeds University. Ms. Pardo was most recently employed at Radio Turks and Caicos as the Sales and Marketing Officer and previously has completed several internships at Digicel, Fortis TCI and the TCI Government Statistics Department. Ms. Pardo is passionate about community service and is an active member of the Rotaract Club, living by the club motto “service before self”. She is also a Red Cross Volunteer and DDME volunteer, having recently become a certified Disaster Shelter Manager.
The newest addition to the Grand Turk team as Visitor Reception is Shaleeya Richardson. Ms. Richardson was raised in Grand Turk and graduated from the Helena Jones Robinson High School in 2014. She is currently a student at the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College pursuing an Associates degree in Business Studies. Thereafter, she will pursue a Bachelors degree in Tourism Management and plans to further her career in the tourism sector. Ms. Richardson has expressed her gratitude to be a part of the Tourist Board’s team and lending her skills to market our destination.
While she is not new to the team, we would like to take this opportunity to re-introduce Candesha L. Mills, Product Development Officer of the Turks and Caicos Island Tourist Board. Mrs. Mills is a native of Grand Turk and a graduate of the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, having earned an Associates degree in Business Studies from the institution. She matriculated to Johnson & Wales University in North Miami, FL where she earned an Associate and Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. Mrs. Mills is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Global Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development. Her employment at the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board commenced in July 2007 as Statistical Coordinator and she was appointed as Product Marketing Officer in 2008. Her role was subsequently changed to Product Development Officer and she is tasked with the responsibility of assisting with the implementation of the strategic product development plans, formulation of a sustainable development plan, and exploring new product developments and visitor attractions. Mrs. Mills has expressed that her goal is to develop new and innovative ideas to ensure the longevity of the industry and discover new ways of expanding the Turks and Caicos Islands tourism offering such as the cruise ship industry.
Release: TCIG
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Correspondent
#TurksandCaicos, April 25, 2024 – He was busted at the Howard Hamilton Providenciales International Airport on Friday, April 16, 2024.
He allegedly had in his luggage four (4) rounds of 6.5mm ammunition on his departure to his homeland in Oklahoma in the United States of America (USA).
Ryan Watson and his wife were arrested and placed into police lock up. Both were later granted police bail, and upon return to police station the Monday after the couple’s arrest, the husband alone was charged by detective Police Constable Kimberlee Markland for
unlawful possession of the four rounds of ammunition.
Watson was escorted to court on Tuesday, April 23rd, placed before the learned Chief Magistrate Mr. Jolyon Hatmin and remanded to His Majesty’s Prison until his sufficiency hearing on June 7, this (2024) year.
His counsel, Mr. Oliver Smith KC and his junior assistant Mrs. Kimone Tennant immediately sought bail for him in the Supreme Court which was heard the following day (Wednesday April 24) before her Ladyship Ms. Tanya Lobban-Jackson and was granted bail, without hassle in the amount or $15,000.00 cash or surety.
The Crown, in the person of senior public prosecutor Ms. Tassja Mitchell did not oppose bail.
Magnetic Media can report that once again on the afternoon of the Tuesday April 24th, after the accused RYAN TYLER WATSON, 41 was remanded by the Magistrate’s court, the U.S. Embassy issued an warning to it’s citizens and travelers to carefully check their bags when traveling to Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) as TCI authorities are strictly enforcing firearm and ammunition laws and if found you could go to prison for 12 years.
A real question of great concern and public importance is: should the TCI courts sentence tourists to the full mandatory minimum of 12 years imprisonment for simple possession firearm and/or ammunition.
The succinct answer is: Yes!
The Court of Appeal, just last month said in its written judgment that “ALL PERSONS,” including tourist/visitors must go to prison if found guilty or pleas guilty to firearm and ammunition offences.
However, there remains the concern about how much time in prison a judge should give a visitor regardless of the existence of exceptional circumstances.
Should the judge imprison a visitor to the territory, who may have been wrongly informed, for example, the full mandatory minimum term or must a reduced prison term be imposed.
If TCI judges start to give less than the mandatory minimum to tourists/visitors, it is being strong and widely advocated by senior defense attorneys that the same must apply to local or residents of these Islands, who may also present exceptional circumstances.
Arguments about the equity in delivery of justice is what drove the question to the Court of Appeal late in 2023. The decision came this past February.
‘We cannot find ourselves sentencing tourists regardless of exceptional circumstances to lesser sentences, and when those same exceptional circumstances are found in local cases, it’s being ignored by our judges.’
Human Rights Attorney, Sheena Mair has on more than one occasion argued this point; including in firearm and ammunition bail applications. She would put the very same judges and prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution on the spot by reminding the judges and the prosecutors that precedent has been set.
‘You’ve just granted bail to a tourist for firearm and ammunition but now here’s a local person, same charge but because he’s a local he can’t get bail? He has to be remanded pending a trial that could take years before it’s heard?’
Mair has valiantly outlined the wrong in this and clearly stated this practice is “not fair” and it’s “not proper administration of justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Ms. Mair further complained that tourists would plea guilty to possession of firearm and ammunition and be released on bail pending sentencing but as for a local, he or she has to wait on remand at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pending sentencing.
The attorney criticizes the optics of such decisions and is on record reminding the Judge that the Court of Appeal has already set out that the law applies to everyone; visitors and locals alike.
A police statement issued Wednesday April 24 informs: “Today (April 24th), Mr. Watson appeared in the Supreme Court and, following a bail application, was granted $15,000 bail with the following conditions:
1) Not travel out of TCI without the court’s permission.
2) Surrender his passport and all other travel documents to the court
3) Report to Grace Bay Police Station on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 8 am-4 pm,
4) Reside at the given address in Providenciales; any address change will be provided before the court.”
The American from Oklahoma whose story is trending in the US and has been carried by leading news networks was joined by a host of loved ones at the Courthouse.
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