Florida Times-Union
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The woman seen in a viral video giving the finger to another shopper then coughing in her face at a Jacksonville mall has been sentenced to 29 days in jail for assault.
The decision ended several hours of testimony and questions Thursday in the sentencing hearing of Debra Jo Michele Hunter, the woman from Fernandina Beach, outside of Jacksonville, Florida. It came despite an August plea agreement that had consisted of only probation with conditions.
Duval County Court Judge James Ruth first heard testimony from Hunter s husband, friends and family who said she has a really huge heart and is broken-hearted over how she coughed on cancer patient Heather Sprague. But after they spoke on behalf of Hunter, Sprague told the judge about the confrontation that happened only months after she underwent brain tumor surgery.
A Fernandina Beach woman seen giving the finger to another shopper on video that went viral then coughing in her face at a St. Johns Town Center store before storming out has been sentenced to 29 days in jail for assault.
The decision ended several hours of testimony and questions during Debra Jo Michele Hunter s sentencing hearing that went into Thursday evening and came despite an August plea agreement that had consisted of only probation with conditions.
Duval County Court Judge James Ruth first heard testimony from Hunter s husband, friends and family who said she has a really huge heart and is broken-hearted over how she coughed on cancer patient Heather Sprague. But after they spoke on behalf of Hunter, Sprague told the judge about the confrontation that happened only months after she underwent brain tumor surgery.