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Woman who coughed on cancer patient gets 30 days in jail

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Posted at 10:30 AM, Apr 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-12 13:30:36-04

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman whose image went viral when she deliberately coughed on a customer at a Pier 1 store last year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

A judge in Jacksonville on Thursday also ordered Debra Hunter to pay a $500 fine, serve six months probation and participate in a mental health evaluation along with anger management.

Hunter was arrested last June after being recorded deliberately coughing on a customer during an argument inside the store.

The victim, Heather Sprague, got tested for the coronavirus, which came back negative, The Associated Press reported.

Hunter told the judge her family had paid the price for her mistakes.

The AP reported that Hunter's testimony struck the judge because she "focused less on how she may have harmed the victim and more on how her actions affected her own family.

The victim is a cancer patient who pushed for accountability for Hunter's actions.