SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – The Prosecutor’s Office OM SXM has levied hefty fines, had damages financially covered, and imposed a no-travel to Sint Maarten condition for three years on the two American tourists who were caught on camera being unruly, causing property damage, and assaulting a police officer on May 23, 2021, OM SXM said in a media statement on Tuesday.
All parts of settlement were adhered to by the tourists i.e. all fines and damages were paid for and they signed an agreement acknowledging that they cannot return to the country for three years.
This out-of-court settlement should not be seen as these tourists escaping punishment for their behavior and their disregard for the country’s laws and law enforcement, rather, this route was chosen by OM SXM to attend to the case as soon as possible as heading to court in approximately three months would not have been effective.
Heading to court would have meant that the tourists would have left the country without any definite punishment. They would have also been back in the United States, therefore out of the jurisdiction, and would not appear in court when called in the coming months. Allowing such a scenario would have been a disservice to the community, the image of Sint Maarten, and may have even created the impression that hurting a police officer was easily escaped on Sint Maarten.
The path used by OM SXM to deal with the tourists in no way condones their actions or endorses similar ones in the future by anyone. Therefore, instead of allowing the tourists to leave the country with no consequences for their unacceptable actions, the fines, repayment for damages and the travel condition were imposed by OM SXM. These avenues resulted in the tourists being hit severely in their financial purses and in their travel possibilities.
