oklahoma

For Mary Robinson, 69, this holiday season comes with the gift of home and family. The Oklahoma grandmother, jailed on December 2, in the Bahamas for gun possession and inability to pay her $8,000 fine, is now free and on her way home in time for Christmas.

Robinson had been visiting the Bahamas on a Royal Caribbean cruise with her 12-year-old grandson when authorities discovered a loaded firearm in her purse. While she had legally owned the gun in the United States, she could not pay the fine and was sentenced to 24 months in the Bahamas Department of Corrections.

Her granddaughter, Graci Exendine, quickly mobilised and, in an urgent GoFundMe campaign, raised over $12,000 to secure her release, appealing to strangers and supporters to bring Robinson home.

The relief came this week. “Mary is at the airport waiting for her flight! She should be home tonight,” Graci posted on social media. “I want to again thank everyone who has helped get our Mary back home.”

Robinson’s lawyer, Bjorn Ferguson, explained that the grandmother “has a touch of dementia” and normally leaves the firearm in her vehicle. Somehow, it was forgotten in her purse before boarding the ship, the “honest mistake” that set off a chain of events that could have kept her away from family for months.

After her release, Graci updated supporters again: “I just talked to Mary. She is out. She’s staying at a hotel tonight, and then we’ll figure out her passport and flight tomorrow! Thank you everyone who has been keeping up with Mary and making sure she gets home to her people.”

Relatives of a 69-year-old grandmother jailed, are pleading for compassion after she was sentenced to 24 months in prison for possession of a loaded firearm found in her purse at the Nassau Cruise Port.

Mary Robinson, of Oklahoma, was arrested last Tuesday while attempting to board the Liberty of the Seas. Security officers discovered a loaded .380 pistol inside her handbag, a weapon her family says she simply forgot was there.

“I’m asking anyone or everyone to help out if they can. I know holidays are so close but if anyone can help we would appreciate it so much,” her grand daughter Gracie Exendine pleaded.

Robinson, who was traveling with her 12-year-old grandson, told authorities she normally carries the gun for personal protection at home and leaves it in her vehicle before travel. But, according to relatives, this time she forgot it was still in her purse.

After she was unable to pay the $8,000 fine, she was taken to the Bahamas Department of Corrections last Thursday to begin a two-year sentence.

Gracie launched a GoFundMe campaign, writing that Robinson “needs a miracle” and begging for help to bring her home in time for the Christmas holidays. The campaign has since raised more than $12,000.

According to the Nassau Guardian, Robinson’s attorney, Bjorn Ferguson, argued in court that she has “a touch of dementia” and struggled during her initial detention, claiming she “had to contend with very aggressive rats” at the Central Police Station.

He also told the court that Robinson was legally licensed to carry the weapon in the United States and that the gun had been a gift given to her more than 50 years ago. Ferguson says the incident was an honest mistake.

Her relatives say they are desperate to get her home.