American fined for breaking COVID curfew

An American woman was yesterday fined for breaches under the Disaster Risk Management Act.

Melanie Mitchell pleaded guilty to breaching the curfew order in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. The court heard that Mitchell was among a group of persons who were gathered at a nine-night and was not wearing a mask. It is reported that about 70 persons were at the gathering. Mitchell told the court that she arrived in the island on May 13 and did not quarantine when she arrived.

Senior Parish Court Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague imposed a $50,000 fine or nine-months imprisonment for breaching the curfew. On the charge of failure to wear a mask in a public place, Mitchell initially pleaded not guilty.

"In relation to the not wearing mask, when is it that you intend to return to America?" the judge asked. Mitchell told the court that she would be leaving the island yesterday.

"Well the matter going have to try today. You can't leave here yet, Ma'am," Cole-Montague told Mitchell. She then entered a guilty plea on the mask charge. The judge then imposed a fine of $10,000 or a 30-day imprisonment.

- T.T.