MONTEGO BAY, St James — A retired member of the US military who is facing charges of unauthorised possession of ammunition has been granted permission to leave Jamaica in order to get medical care.

Christina Salmon was reportedly held with ammunition at Sangster International Airport. She appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday and her defence hinges upon her assertion that she had made a mistake.

Salmon is being represented by attorney-at-law Henry McCurdy.

According to court documents, the incident allegedly occurred on August 3, shortly after Salmon arrived in the island on a JetBlue flight from the United States.

The allegations are that during security screening, an unusual object was detected on the scanner. A detailed search of her luggage was done and a magazine with 10 rounds of ammunition was found.

When cautioned, Salmon allegedly said to the officer, “The magazine and ammunition belong to me, and it was an honest mistake… I packed my bag in a hurry and did not realise it was there because I was hurrying to catch my flight.”

She further indicated that she did not have a permit to carry a firearm in Jamaica, but she is permitted to do so in the state where she resides. She also disclosed that she is a retired member of the US military.

Following the reading of the allegations, McCurdy stated that his client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and asked that she be returned home for treatment.

“Miss Salmon should have gone back home on Monday [August 5], but because of this matter she is still here,” the defence lawyer said.

“She spent the last two days in the Cornwall Regional Hospital as she took ill and was rushed to the hospital… She needs to go back home for further medical examination and treatment,” McCurdy told presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton in making the application on Salmon’s behalf.

“When persons go to Iraq and other countries, like Miss Salmon has done, and they get back to the United States and they are discharged with 100 per cent disability because of the effects from Iraq and Afghanistan, they have post-traumatic stress disorder. She suffers from the same condition, and the medication she needs is not in Jamaica,” McCurdy explained.

Judge Fairclough-Hylton was swayed by the argument.

“While it would be somewhat easier for me to just deal with what is before me today, the truth is that based on the allegations as outlined by the prosecution, I would afford the prosecution some more time to deal with her instructions to see what is happening,” she said.

“If there is something else that needs to be done, I will not sacrifice what needs to be done on the basis of expediency… I have no difficulty with her returning for medical treatment,” the judge added.

She also commented on the number of cases involving contraband entering Jamaica.

“What I realise this week is that we always say that things come into our country and we must do more to protect our borders from them coming into our country,” Fairclough-Hylton noted.

The ammunition case was subsequently set for mention on September 18, and Salmon’s bail extended until then.