Georgia Senators Calls For Leniency For Teen Serving Two Months In Prison For Violating Quarantine Restrictions

Georgia Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue call for leniency on behalf of an 18-year-old girl detained in the Cayman Islands for violating quarantine restrictions.

To the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, the U.S. politicians wrote:

“We write today in regard to the recent arrest and detainment of Skylar Mack, a U.S. citizen, and resident of Georgia, in the Cayman Islands,” the senators wrote. “It is our understanding that Ms. Mack has formally requested the Prerogative of Mercy, and we wish to express our support for her family’s call for leniency.

Mack is currently locked up in the British overseas territory in the Caribbean.

Last month, Mack flew to the island with her boyfriend, a native of Grand Cayman, to celebrate Christmas. While there, authorities say that Mack attended an event for several hours and did not wear a mask or social distance. They also mentioned that she took off a government-issued quarantine tracking bracelet, left her hotel, and attended a jet ski race with her boyfriend.

Initially, the 18-year-old Georgia resident was sentenced to community service, but the court later added prison time to her sentence.

At first, Mack received four months in prison. It then turned into two months.

When Channel 2 Action News spoke with Mack’s family, they stated that the teen’s punishment does not fit the crime.

“The day she arrived is the day, the new law went into effect. They are trying to use her as an example and the poster child to say, ‘Do not do this,'” said Skyler’s father, Jason Burt.

Mack’s attorney says that unless America can “pull some strings,” the teen will most likely serve 60 percent of her two-month sentence with the likelihood of being released around Jan.20. She has been incarcerated for a week.

“We support the right of the Cayman Islands, as a British Overseas Territory, to enact appropriate regulations to protect the safety of its residents during this trying time and to impose fair sentences against those who violate such restrictions,” Loeffler and Perdue said in a joint statement. “Ms. Mack has admitted guilt, regrets her actions, paid a substantial fine, and been incarcerated for over a week. However, her parents’ sincere hope is that she can safely and expeditiously return home to continue her studies as a pre-med student at Mercer University. Her family has also expressed serious concern about her safety, as she has received numerous threats against her life following the publicity of her case.”