JACKSONVILLE, Florida – A Florida woman who coughed at a cancer patient at a Pier 1 store last year told a judge that she deserves to be publicly ridiculed as a result of her actions, but her children are not.
Debra Hunter, who was charged with misdemeanor assault after the June 25 incident at Pier 1 in Jacksonville, recently wrote a three-page letter to Duval County Judge James Ruth, accepting responsibility “for any justice you may have. deem appropriate “, while explaining what led to your actions that day.
The incident was shared on social media and quickly went viral.
Heather Sprague, mother and cancer patient, was using her cell phone to record an altercation between Hunter and the store staff when Hunter turned his attention to Sprague.
Hunter, who was not wearing a mask, confronted Sprague, saying to her, “I think I’m going to come right up to you and cough then, how about it?”
In his letter, Hunter wrote that his family “went through one traumatic event after another” in the previous months, including a near-fatal boating accident and a fire that destroyed his home and most of his belongings.
Hunter wrote that his children “continue to suffer indignities caused by mistake”.
“They are ashamed, punished and ridiculed” by their colleagues and adults, she explained.
Hunter continued to write about the friendships his children lost as a result of his actions and the “shame and regret” that will follow him for the rest of his life.
“The reality is that my family is permanently scarred,” wrote Hunter. “Although this scar (sic) will disappear over time, it will never disappear completely. My children should not pay the price for my mistake. I can overcome ostracism. I deserve it. My children cannot. Able to rationalize and even reconcile all of this. My kids can’t. They were very affected by the thousands of text messages, emails, phone calls, posts, threats and even letters delivered by hand. “
Hunter also provided the judge with 24 pages of the anger she received, along with a letter of support from a friend.
His sentence is scheduled for next month. She faces up to 60 days in prison and a $ 500 fine.