‘They want to hang her for this’: Grandmother of Georgia teen, 18, jailed for four months by Cayman Islands for violating quarantine to see boyfriend’s jet ski competition says they are making an example of her
- 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 were sentenced to four months in prison after their original sentence was overturned
- Jeanne Mack, Skylar Mack’s grandmother, shared that the family was ‘very disappointed’ in the teen but felt that officials ‘want to hang her for this’
- Mack, who is enrolled as a pre-med student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, arrived in the Cayman Islands on November 27
- She was supposed to undergo a two-week quarantine as mandated by the government, which electronically tracks anyone who arrives
- The student broke quarantine on Nov. 29 when her boyfriend picked her up to attend a water sports event, Hughes said
- The Cayman Islands, a territory of nearly 62,000 people, has reported more than 300 coronavirus cases and two deaths
The 18-year-old college student sentenced to four months in a Cayman Island jail for violating quarantine measures is only having to serve time because government officials ‘needed to make a statement,’ according to the teen’s grandmother.
Jeanne Mack, Skylar Mack’s grandmother, spoke with Fox News’s ‘America Newsroom’ on Friday when she shared that the family was ‘very disappointed’ in the teen but felt that officials ‘want to hang her for this.’
Local officials say Mack violated the 14-day quarantine requirement after two days, initially asking government officials to loosen the wristband that was used to monitor her because it was too tight.
Jeanne Mack, Skylar Mack’s grandmother, shared that the family was ‘very disappointed’ in the teen but felt that officials ‘want to hang her for this’
She is then said to have slipped out of the equipment before attending boyfriend Vanjae Ramjeet’s jet ski competition. Both her and Ramjeet were sentenced to four months in prison after their previous sentence of 40 hours of community service and $2,600 fine was overturned.
‘They needed to make a statement,’ grandmother Mack said. ‘Their government is accusing her of causing major anxiety of everybody that was on the island but it’s because they’re not telling them that she was negative – she does not have the virus, she never has had the virus.’
Mack voiced her annoyance that the aspiring med student appeared to be the first person to be met with such a serious punishment. She noted that others from other countries had violated the order but were just given fines.
‘They needed to make a statement,’ grandmother Mack said. ‘Their government is accusing her of causing major anxiety of everybody that was on the island but it’s because they’re not telling them that she was negative – she does not have the virus, she never has had the virus.’
Mack, 18, of Georgia, and Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, of the Cayman Islands, have been in prison since Tuesday, when the ruling was issued. They were sentenced to four months behind bars
She said the family has reached out to the U.S. Embassy but were told by an Ambassador there that his hands were tied because Mack broke a rule.
Skylar was prepared to do her community service at a local animal shelter, Mack shared. The teen put out a statement voicing her apologies for violating the rules.
‘I was afforded the opportunity to enter the islands during these trying times and I abused it,’ she said. ‘I am humbly asking for the forgiveness of the community.’ \
The Georgia teen and 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.
‘They’re two young people who have never been in trouble before,’ he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. ‘This is the first time they’ve had interaction with police, the courts, prison.’
Both Mack (pictured) and Ramgeet 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 November 27 and was supposed to undergo a two-week quarantine as mandated by the government, which electronically tracks anyone who arrives in the British Caribbean territory. However, she broke quarantine on Nov. 29 when her boyfriend picked her up to attend a water sports event, Hughes said.
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 7pm 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 December 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.
‘This was entirely deliberate and planned, as evidenced by her desire to switch her wristband the day before to a looser one that she was then able to remove,’ he was quoted as saying, referring to the electronic tracking device.
Hughes said the sentence is the first of its kind, adding that Mack´s family is concerned: ‘They´re worried for her because she´s in prison in a foreign country on her own. While this is something she brought on herself, it’s very distressing for her.’
The couple have been together for seven months. Hughes said he doesn’t know how they met. He noted that Ramgeet is a competitive jet skier like Mack’s father.
Jeanne Mack told the AP that she reached out to U.S. President Donald Trump and received an email from a staffer saying the White House would look into the matter.
In her phone calls from prison, ‘the minute she starts talking, she starts crying,’ she said. ‘She’s afraid that once she makes it back to the States, everyone will hate her.’
Mack, who lives outside of Atlanta, said her granddaughter decided she wanted to be a doctor at age 10 and asked for a suture kit at her birthday a couple of years later.
The couple are the first to be sentenced under an amended law targeting COVID-19 violators. The original law called for a $2,400 fine and up to six months in prison, while the recently amended law calls for a $12,000 fine and up to two years in prison.
Under the original law, a Canadian couple found guilty of violating coronavirus measures were ordered to pay a $1,200 fine each.
The Cayman Islands, a territory of nearly 62,000 people, has reported more than 300 coronavirus cases and two deaths.
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