A 69-year-old cruise passenger on a Royal Caribbean ship was arrested in the Bahamas last week after a gun was found in her possession. This story is another lesson in checking those bags thoroughly before you leave the country.
The American grandmother, Mary Robinson, of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, was charged with possession of a firearm. She was found with a loaded Kel-Tec .380 pistol and four rounds of ammunition in her purse.
The arrest took place on Tuesday, December 2, when Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas was docked near New Providence Island.
On Royal Caribbean’s list of prohibited items it states that “Weapons, firearms, ammunition, explosives, incendiaries (including replicas and gun parts)” are all prohibited.
Her attorney, Bjorn Ferguson, confirmed the details to People. The weapon reportedly passed security checks when she boarded the ship in Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Robinson’s granddaughter, Graci Exendine, started a GoFundMe page to raise money for a potential fine and she wrote that Robinson had traveled for her adopted son Johnny’s 12th birthday.
She explained that Robinson usually carries protection on trips but typically leaves it in the car before boarding a ship since firearms are not allowed. In this case, the gun was accidentally not left behind and was discovered in her bag during a security check.
Exendine said that a $10,000 fine would be required for Robinson’s release to avoid her being sent to the Bahamas prison.
The main prison in the Bahamas is Fox Hill Prison in Nassau. A 2021 U.S. Department of State report described the conditions at the prison as “harsh,” mentioning issues such as overcrowding, poor nutrition, and poor sanitation and medical care.
On Thursday, December 4, Robinson pleaded guilty to the possession charges before Magistrate Lennox Coleby. A local outlet reported that she apologized and said she forgot the gun was in her purse due to her home state’s open-carry laws.
Attorney Ferguson explained to People that entering The Bahamas with a firearm is a serious matter, potentially resulting in a prison sentence of 12 months to 10 years for a firearms possession charge. Ferguson negotiated an $8,000 fine instead of jail time. But the fine could not be paid right away.
“The fine was not paid on the day of the hearing, and so she did in fact have to go to the Bahamas Department of Corrections,” Ferguson stated, saying that Robinson spent five or six days at the Fox Hill facility. Once the fine was paid, she was released.
As of December 9, Exendine’s GoFundMe had raised over $12,000. Robinson’s granddaughter posted on Facebook on December 8 and confirmed her release: “I just talked to Mary, she is OUT!!”
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