JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida woman who coughed at a cancer patient at a Pier 1 store last year told a judge that she deserves the public ridicule that has come her way as a result of her actions, but not her children.
Debra Hunter, who was charged with felony charges following the June 25 incident at Pier 1 in Jacksonville, recently wrote a three-page letter to Duval County Judge James Ruth taking responsibility “ for any justice you see fit ‘while also explaining what led to her actions that day.
The incident was shared on social media and quickly went viral.
Heather Sprague, a mother and cancer patient, used her cell phone to record an altercation between Hunter and store employees when Hunter turned her attention to Sprague.
Hunter, who was not wearing a mask, confronted Sprague and said to her, “I think I’ll get really close to you and then cough, what’s that like?”
In her letter, Hunter wrote that her family had “experienced one traumatic event after another” in the preceding 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 be humiliated by mistake.”
“They are embarrassed, punished and mocked” by their peers 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 faded over time (sic), it will never completely disappear. My kids wouldn’t have to pay the price for my mistake. I can overcome the exclusion. I deserve it. My kids don’t. I’m able to rationalize and even reconcile all of this. My kids can’t. They’ve been greatly affected by the thousands of text messages, emails, phone calls, postings, threats and even hand-delivered letters. “
Hunter also provided the judge with 24 pages of the wrath she received, along with a letter of support from a friend.
Her sentencing is scheduled for next month. She could face up to 60 days in jail and pay a $ 500 fine.