American pilot jailed in Singapore for violating quarantine order to buy medical supplies

Brian Dugan Yeargan, wearing a face mask and sunglasses, walks outside the Singapore State Court in Singapore.(AP)

A U.S. cargo pilot will spend four weeks behind bars after he admitted to breaking Singapore’s quarantine order to buy medical supplies, his lawyer said Friday.

FedEx pilot Brian Yeargan, 44, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to leaving his hotel room for three hours to buy masks and a thermometer.

The Alaska resident and his two co-pilots arrived in Singapore on April 3 and were immediately taken to a hotel to serve a 14-day quarantine because they had been to multiple countries affected by coronavirus in the previous two-week period, including China, Japan and the U.S., defense attorney Ronnie Tan told The Associated Press.

But when health officials went to check on the group just two days later, they noticed Yeargan was not in his room.

The pilot told a local court that he had taken the train downtown to buy some medical supplies before he was set to fly back home on April 6. Yeargan claims his wife had been ill and the items he bought were in short supply in his hometown.

Tan said his client’s daughter died in a tragic incident four years ago and he was afraid of losing another family member.

“In his address in court, Yeargan said he was sorry, he made a poor judgment and that he shouldn’t have gone out,” the lawyer said.

Singapore recently began to ease its lockdown restrictions, but the tiny island country had imposed strict enforcement measures and harsh penalties for quarantine violators, including up to six months in jail and a fine.

As of Friday, Singapore has confirmed more than 26,000 coronavirus infections and at least 21 deaths.