JACKSONVILLE, Florida – A Florida woman who coughed up cancer at a Pier 1 store last year told a judge she deserved public ridicule for her actions, but her children did not.
Debra Hunter, who was charged with misdemeanor assault after the June 25 incident at a Jacksonville pier, recently wrote a three-page letter to Duval County Judge James Ruth, accepting responsibility “for any justice you deem appropriate.” , explaining at the same time what led to her actions that day.
The incident was spread on social networks and quickly went viral.
Heather Sprague, a mother with cancer, was using her cell phone to record an altercation between Hunter and store staff when Hunter turned his attention to Sprague.
Hunter, who was not wearing a mask, confronted Sprague, saying, “I think I’ll get very close to you and cough then, how are you?”
In her letter, Hunter wrote that her family “went through one traumatic event after another” in previous months, including a near-fatal boating accident and a fire that destroyed their home and most of their belongings.
Hunter wrote that her children “continue to suffer indignities caused by mistake.”
“They are embarrassed, punished and ridiculed” by their colleagues and adults, she explained.
Hunter went on to write about the friendships her children lost as a result of her actions and the “shame and regret” that will follow her for the rest of her life.
“The reality is that my family has been permanently scarred,” Hunter wrote. “Although that scar made (sic) fades over time, it will never disappear completely. My kids shouldn’t pay the price for my mistake. I can overcome ostracism. I deserve it. My children don’t. And although I am able to rationalize and even reconcile all this. My kids can’t. They were severely affected by thousands of text messages, emails, phone calls, posts, threats and even hand-delivered letters. “
Hunter also provided the judge with 24 pages of anger he received, along with a letter of support from a friend.
Her conviction is scheduled for next month. He could receive up to 60 days in prison and pay a $ 500 fine.