The judge gave 45-year-old Saritta Grier, a mother and grandmother from Florida, a 23-week suspended sentence and a $1,500 fine.
She had faced a mandatory 12-year prison sentence upon conviction, and she expressed her profound relief at being spared years in a Caribbean island jail.
“I was shocked, I was actually shocked. I couldn’t believe it,” Grier told a reporter after learning her sentence.
She carries a weapon for self-defense and hides her ammunition in her duffle bag, where two rounds were found.
The best news is that she is already back at her home in the Sunshine State after a harrowing ordeal that began with a surprise Mother’s Day vacation.
Grier was at Howard Hamilton International Airport with her daughter when security personnel discovered two ammunition rounds in her carry-on bag.
She was immediately arrested and charged with possession of the ammo, which was made illegal by island authorities as they attempted to suppress gang violence. A $15,000 bail was granted, and she was freed on the condition that she remain on the island while awaiting trial.
The grueling saga ended Thursday when Grier’s plane touched down at Orlando International Airport, and a welcoming gathering of family and friends greeted her.
Grier told CBS News that it was a long wait for this moment. “I’m just excited about everything, ready to get back home to my family and my grandkids. It’s been a long time coming, but, you know, God is still good.”
Her case and those of several other Americans in the same situation in the Caribbean must serve as a warning to tourists that they are bound by the laws, however draconian, of the countries they visit. Even the most innocent cases of oversight regarding weapons and ammunition may have drastic consequences in places where they are unprotected by the Second Amendment.
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