Nassau-A magistrate on Wednesday fined a woman $2,000 for breaking exercise rules during the weekend lockdown.
Police detained Helen Lacar, 41, of West Bay Street, when she jogged past the Cable Beach Police Station at 4:20pm on Sunday, May 17.
Lacar, a Filipina housekeeper, admitted to violating the lockdown restrictions aimed at stemming the community spread of the coronavirus at an arraignment before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.
The lockdown order allows residents to exercise outdoors within their neighbourhood between 5am and 8am.
Otherwise, all residents must stay at home unless they are traveling to and from work at an essential business.
Unlike some lockdown offenders, Lacar came to court on police bail.
Lacar told the court, “I went for a jog. I was not aware of the exercising rules. It was an honest oversight.”
WPC 800 Culmer was on duty at the station when she saw Lacar run past, the prosecutor Sergeant Wynette McPhee told the court.
Culmer called out to Lacar then arrested and cautioned her, the court heard.
McKinney asked, “You jogged past the police station during the lockdown?”
Lacar replied, “Yes, sir. I am so sorry.”
McKinney, who has imposed fines ranging from $400 to $1,500 since the curfew and lockdown measures came into effect on March 20, hit Lacar with a $2,000 fine.
He told her failure to pay would result in a nine-month prison sentence.
Lacar said, “Right now, I don’t have money like that. I’m just a housekeeper.”
When asked how much she could pay, Lacar said she’d have to ask her boss.
After talking to her boss, Lacar said she could pay $500. She has until May 29 to pay the balance.
Curfew and lockdown violators are liable to fines of $10,000 and prison terms of 18 months.
Police have arrested more than 800 people while enforcing the measures, including the homeless, mentally ill and senior citizens.
