Skylar Mack, a pre-med student at Mercer University, left for the Islands on Nov. 27 after giving Covid-19 a negative at home, her grandmother, Jeanne Mack, told CNN.
When Mack landed, he was given another Covid-19 test, which was negative and he was told to remain isolated for two weeks. Instead, she decided to attend her boyfriend’s jet ski competition two days later.
“In his mind, as long as he stayed away from everyone, it would be nice to go see his friend’s race, it was his big national finals race, the last race of the year, great thing,” he said. his grandmother.
Attendees at the race, who knew Mack, reported her breach of isolation and officials arrested her.
According to his grandmother, Mack acknowledged in court that he had “fucked up.” She was initially sentenced to 40 hours of community service and sentenced to pay a fine to cover her mandatory quarantine accommodation.
“These crimes should have been met with much stricter measures,” Moran told the judge. “When it comes to a matter of deterrence, the sentences imposed are likely to have little or no effect on other like-minded people.”
According to the Cayman Compass, Judge Roger Chapple heard the appeal in the Grand Court on Monday and handed down the revised sentence Tuesday morning. He reportedly said he understood the need for a balancing act, but found that “the gravity of the offense was such that the only appropriate sentence would have been immediate imprisonment.”
Mack’s grandmother told CNN that officials described Mack’s actions as premeditated, as she had called the public health department to have the locator’s bracelet relaxed the day before its breach. But his family says Mack sent them pictures of the bracelet cutting into their skin.
“He did wrong. We have no doubt what he did wrong. I don’t think the punishment fulfills that,” Jeanne Mack said.
Mack was immediately taken to jail, where she is detained in the general population. According to his family, he is allowed to call daily.
“She cries every time she calls home. She hasn’t been able to eat since she was put in jail,” her grandmother told CNN.
According to the family, the U.S. embassy in the Cayman Islands told them that Mack is becoming an example.
“I really think he needed to get in trouble, because he did something wrong. I don’t think he has to go to jail for four months for an offense,” Jeanne Mack said.