Meadors makes final plea in illegal gun case

| 01/02/2021 | 61 Comments
Cayman News Service
David Meadors

(CNS): David Dean Meadors (55), a US national who absconded while on bail for firearms charges more than three years ago, made a final plea in the long-running case when he appeared in court Friday via Zoom. Meadors is now expected to be sentenced in March but he is not expected to return. The Florida businessman, who does not have a local gun licence, was charged after customs found a large quantity of bullets in a shipping container and two guns at his Cayman Brac property in July 2017.

In May 2018, it was discovered that Meadors had jumped bail after he had been allowed to travel for medical reasons, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Shortly afterwards, he gave an interview to the Sun Sentinel from his home in Hollywood, South Florida, claiming that he had not answered bail because he was suffering from an autoimmune disease that could not be treated in the Cayman Islands.

Since then, the case has continued to be argued in the court here by his attorney, Ben Tonner QC.

Meadors originally faced five charges relating to importation and possession of a BB gun, a Glock 9mm handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. While he had admitted to the importation and possession of the handgun, the other charges had remained in dispute.

On Friday the court heard that prosecutors were allowing the offences in relation to the BB gun and the importation of the ammunition to remain on the file as they accepted his guilty plea for the illegal possession of 240 bullets on an undisclosed basis.

While the law requires a statutory minimum sentence of seven years on a guilty plea, ten after trial, for the possession of an unlicensed firearm, it is understood that Meadors is arguing exceptional circumstances.

However, even if the Florida resident receives a custodial sentence, it is very unlikely that he will return to serve it. Government is in the process of formally seizing the $28,000 cash bond and sureties that Meadors had submitted as well as the house that he was building on Songbird Drive, Cayman Brac.

The case was adjourned Friday until 1 March.


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Comments (61)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Just another chase to gain publicity. Just like the so called investigating of a c level celebrity who called a woman ms cayman. What happened to the case on the oil wealth man who had a shotgun in his crystal harbor home? Didn’t serve a single day. He sent a team of lawyers to bury it and filed suit against cmr. This guy here is not at that level of wealth so here he is, a tool for publicity. Little island

    • Visitor to Be says:

      It’s amazing that he was allowed to leave Cayman
      You have to ask .. why didn’t Police seize his passport?
      have they applied to have him extradited back to Cayman?

      would have a Cayman national with similar charges been allowed access to travel to the USA

      Trust me if a Cayman national was caught in the USA and he flew back to Cayman … the USA would have requested that he be extradited back to the USA to face the charges

      just saying

  2. castro says:

    same shit different day white privilege if it was my local ass uncle sam would have come for me just like how they go around the world collecting criminals but when its an american you cant go there and hold him liable.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Any potential sympathy was erased after he went about defaming Cayman to Floridian news. He shows no humility, no repentence.

  4. Anonymous says:

    I think he made a simple mistake and should be free with a warning. He’s a legal gun owner a few hundred miles away and no harm to anyone was done

    • Anonymous says:

      Nah

    • Anonymous says:

      To keep smuggling in guns and ammunition when he knew they were illegal is not a simple mistake. Get real.

    • Anonymous says:

      He’s only a few hundred miles away because he skipped bail. He attempted to illegally import a weapon. He was not a legal gun owner here, made no effort to be, and potentially put others at risk by bringing in an unlicensed firearm that could have been stolen and used by others, irrespective of his intentions. Saying no harm was done is a bit like saying the drink driver that hasnt had an accident on the way home should be let off with a warning. Law is not only about consequences, its also about prevention. For him to escape the consequences sends a terrible message and undermines the sense of justice in the application of the rules to others.

      • Anonymous says:

        DOES ANYONE HERE THINK AMERICANS ARE SMUGGLING IN ALL THE GUNS THAT FILL THE ISLAND NOW? No seriously.
        And by what message are you sending to who? The gang leaders and drug dealers? I bet they are shaking in their shoes.

    • Anonymous says:

      These folks are so used to carrying guns that they believe it’s the same everywhere. the egg here is in the face of customs and border control for failing to detect the firearms on entry

      • Anonymous says:

        Yup, he voluntarily showed them the 9 mm pistol he had in the apartment. That was brought in on a commercial flights, not a drug canoe. There appears to be holes in the inspection process for arrivals.

    • Anonymous says:

      Customs found 240 bullets in a container of building materials for his house. Police then found him in possession of a handgun and BB gun at his temporary residence. His lawyer argued that he travel here by boat and had the gun in his possession because he wasn’t comfortable out at sea. Now please tell me, if he traveled with the handgun by boat for maritime protection, why did he need to ship >200 rounds in a container of building materials? He could have handed his gun over to immigration on landing and picked it back up from them when leaving by boat again. That still doesn’t explain the importation of bullets by ocean freight. His story doesn’t add up and neither does you thinking he made a simple mistake.

      Exactly What mistake did this outlaw make?

    • Anonymous says:

      Weed is legal in Canada, but that excuse wouldn’t work* trying to bring some here either. *unfortunately

    • Visitor to Be says:

      so you knew his intentions and why he imported the firearms .. it’s simple

      its an offense

      would you say the same if it was a THUG from Cayman .. just saying

    • Anonymous says:

      7:39 am, are you drunk, doped up or what ? If he is let loose for just making a mistake. Then let out all the people in Northward prison there for having a unlicensed gun.

  5. Anonymous says:

    He should pay the full price. He should have no leniency for absconding. He wasted out tax payer money. Give him the full arm of the law. He should know our laws on guns and ammunition before moving here, if he is a smart businessman. No leniency for him. Confiscate and sell his house to pay back for the costs. Make an example of if him. Health City has an awesome health care program on autoimmune diseases and disorders. Plus where is the proof.

    Our Courts has ordered bed ridden people to come to court for less offenses, an treated them with no leniency. So, give him nothing at all.

  6. Anonymous says:

    We need to stop selling property to these Americans that believe they are above the law. Give him a custodial sentence and extradite his ass. Sell the house. Confiscate everything. Then deport them after.

    • Anonymous says:

      deport him and he not even on island really now!

    • Anonymous says:

      How can you do that? Is there a test that will help you determine whether the American is above the law? It’s too late for that actually.. because an American already owns Cayman.

      • Anonymous says:

        Who Dart own island? Dart brothers renounced their American citizenship years ago. They took Caymanian and Belizean

        • Anonymous says:

          For tax purposes. The family’s fortune creating container business remains in the US and will stay that way.

  7. Anonymous says:

    The courts need to seize the house!

    • Anonymous says:

      reading is not your strong point

      • Anonymous says:

        The article refers to the seizing of the house being in process. It does not refer to it having been done or even a sure thing.

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly, seize his assets, take the bail money and ban his return to Cayman.
      Saving us tens of thousands in legal expenses and aftercare in prison.

  8. Anonymous says:

    That’s BS!! I have an auto immune disorder and have received world class treatment for it in Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      I have an autoimmune disease and I have to travel to FL for treatment. Not all autoimmune diseases are the same.

      • Anonymous says:

        But this guy is a coward so I can only bet on the fact that he could find treatment here but used it as an excuse instead. That should infuriate you as he is taking the piss just to flee. But guys who hoard guns usually are cowards.

        • Anonymous says:

          He’s not a coward. He’s smart as hell. Back in the US running a thriving business. Those impact resistant windows you all buy are probably coming from him. He added a little tax to offset the properties that he’s losing 😀

  9. Anonymous says:

    Shouldn’t there be an Interpol warrant out for him then? Extradition?

  10. Anonymous says:

    Why would one expatriate need hundreds of rounds for a unlicensed handgun? What kind of circumstances would require that in Cayman?

    • Cockadoodledoo says:

      2.21pm Shooting those pesky feral chickens running riot everywhere.

    • Anonymous says:

      many murders every year why pretend they don’t happen

      CNS: Not on Cayman Brac. That’s where he was building his home.

      • Anonymous says:

        Cuban invasion?

      • Anonymous says:

        And that justifies illegally importing hundreds, not dozens but hundreds of rounds? That’s dumb. Period. If he was that scared for his life on the beach, he should consider building his house somewhere else. Many murders? Fear monger much?

    • Anonymous says:

      Sadly, the US Constitutional Second Amendment Right, is exploited by intolerant Americans who conflate skin color, or immigration status, as grave threats to their property, personal safety, and power status quo. Many Americans on expedition don’t understand why their USA rights don’t prevail in other countries that aren’t America. “But I’m American!” is usually a first vocalization in defense of international stupidity. This being one such.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Lock him up. If it were me (a Caymanian) I’d rub time for sure.

    • anon says:

      Is it not possible to extradite him on the firearm charge?.

      • Anonymous says:

        Only if you invade the US. Good luck on that one

      • Anonymous says:

        No, firearms are legal in the US, and the US doesn’t extradite for things that would not be illegal there. No idea whether Cayman is even included in the extradition treaty between UK and US. Maybe someone here knows.

  12. Anonymous says:

    the house aint on song bird drive dudes!

  13. Anonymous says:

    We don’t need people like him living in our islands.

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