US Teen Who Broke Caymans Quarantine Has Sentence Cut

An American teenager who broke quarantine in the Cayman Islands out of what a judge called "selfishness and arrogance" has had her sentence halved. Georgia resident Skylar Mack, 18, and boyfriend Vanjae Ramgeet will now serve two months in jail instead of four, WSB-TV reports. Mack was supposed to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in the Caymans on Nov. 27. But two days after arrival, Mack, who had tested negative for the virus, removed an electronic monitoring bracelet to watch Ramgeet compete in a jet ski race. She allegedly mingled, maskless, with others at the race event for hours, meaning other families had to enter quarantine. Ramgeet, 24, was sentenced for aiding and abetting her and was stripped of his prize money from winning the event.

The jail sentence was imposed after prosecutors argued that the initial sentence of a fine and community service was too lenient. At Tuesday's hearing, a lawyer argued that the judge who jailed the couple had been unduly influenced by public anger at the pair, reports the Cayman News Service. Grandmother Jeanne Mack tells the New York Times that she wrote to President Trump asking for help and was told that her message had been sent "to the appropriate federal agency for further action." "We’re not saying, 'poor, innocent Skylar,'" she says. "We're simply saying the punishment does not meet the crime." With good behavior, Mack and Ramgeet should be out of jail in another four weeks. (More coronavirus stories.)