American teen, 18, is jailed for four months in the Cayman Islands along with her boyfriend, 24, after breaking 14-day quarantine to watch him compete in a jet ski contest
Skylar Mack, 18, of Georgia, and Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, of the Cayman Islands, have been in prison since Tuesday, when the ruling was issued
They had both pleaded guilty, but their attorney, Jonathon Hughes, said he will argue for a less severe sentence next week
Mack, who is enrolled as a pre-med student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, arrived in the Cayman Islands on Nov. 27
She was supposed to undergo a two-week quarantine as mandated by the government, which electronically tracks anyone who arrives
DáNica Coto December 17, 2020 - 12:24 PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A U.S. college student and her boyfriend have been sentenced to four months in prison in the Cayman Islands for violating strict COVID-19 measures following a recent ruling that will be appealed, their attorney said Thursday.
Skylar Mack, 18, of Georgia, and Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, of the Cayman Islands, have been in prison since Tuesday, when the ruling was issued. They had both pleaded guilty, but their attorney, Jonathon Hughes, said he will argue for a less severe sentence next week.
âTheyâre two young people who have never been in trouble before,â he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. âThis is the first time theyâve had interaction with police, the courts, prison.â
After their arrest, a judge ruled the couple had to provide 40 hours of community service and pay a $4,400 fine. In addition, Ramgeet was ordered to a two-month curfew that would start at 7 p.m. But the prosecution appealed, arguing the punishment was unduly lenient and would not deter other possible violators. A higher court decided in favor of prosecutors, ruling on Dec. 15 that the couple be imprisoned immediately.
The Cayman Compass newspaper reported that Judge Roger Chapple said during Tuesday s sentencing that the decision to violate safety measures was born of “selfishness and arrogance, adding in its report that Mack spent seven hours out in public without a face mask or social distancing.