US missionary, tourist fined, ordered deported for immigration breaches

Two Americans, one a missionary worker and the other a tourist, were yesterday both fined and ordered deported after they admitted to overstaying and illegal entry, respectively.

Richard Weldon Robins, 62, was read a charge which stated that between December 6, 2016 and January 16, 2017, at Lethem, having been permitted to stay from September 5, 2016 to December 5, 2016, he overstayed.

Robins pleaded guilty to the charge, which was read to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in a Georgetown court.

According to his attorney, Robins has been in Guyana since June, 2016 and had an extension. He noted that his client sought a second extension by travelling to Brazil, but was unable to be stamped back into the country.

From left are Richard Weldon Robins and Ronald Ray Horrer

Robins was said to have done work with non-governmental organisations in Region Nine, where he has aided in securing refrigeration for the storage of medication and in teaching Bible classes.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that it was during a raid conducted by police on February 16 at the Takutu Hotel, where Robins was staying, that it was discovered that he had overstayed.

Prior to being fined, Robins apologized to the court and expressed his desire to return to the country to complete the work he was conducting in Lethem.

Robins was then fined $30,000 or a default sentence of four weeks in jail if he is unable to pay it. He is to be escorted to the nearest port of exit after payment of the fine or serving the default sentence.

Meanwhile, 66-year-old Ronald Ray Horrer met a similar fate after he was charged with crossing a land frontier between October 1 and October 31, at Lethem, without presenting himself to an immigration officer.

He, too, did not waste the court’s time and pleaded guilty to the charge.

Horrer was also fined $30,000 or a default sentence of four weeks in jail. He will also be escorted to the nearest port of exit after payment of the fine or serving the default sentence.