Woman arrested for new attempt to sneak aboard flight
LOS ANGELES - Marilyn Hartman swore she'd never try to stowaway aboard a passenger jet after she was arrested Monday for doing it on a Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose, Calif., to Los Angeles. But she allegedly broke her promise Thursday morning by trying to board a flight at Los Angeles International Airport.
LAX police chief Patrick Gannon said Hartman was seen boarding a Flyaway shuttle bus and was being observed by law enforcement. She entered several terminals as though scouting them out but did not approach Transportation Security Administration security, nor did she purchase a ticket.
She was eventually arrested for violating the probation handed down to her on Wednesday, which banned her from the airport.
"She apologized profusely, much like she did when I saw her on the news last night," said Gannon at a press conference. "She has been a thorn in the side of San Francisco airport, and San Jose airport now, and we wanted to be proactive."
Hartman, 62, pleaded no contest on Wednesday to willfully and unlawfully flying as a stowaway, a misdemeanor. She was ordered to 24 months' probation and three days in jail, which was regarded as time served since Monday. She was also banned from LAX unless she actually has a ticket to fly.
Prior to the Monday incident, in which she tried three times to board a plane before slipping past screeners, Hartman had been ordered to mental treatment after seven previous attempts to illegally board flights.
The TSA said although she slipped by, she was never any threat to the flight.
"The individual was screened along with all other passengers to ensure that she was not a security threat to the aircraft," the TSA said in a statement. "Following an initial review by TSA at San Jose International Airport, the agency has initiated minor modifications to the layout of the document checking area to prevent another incident like this one."
Hartman is a homeless retired secretary originally from Chicago who had only $4.25 when she left the jail. She was directed to a homeless shelter when she left and was critical of herself when looking at the incident.
"It was stupid, and it's something I don't want to repeat," Hartman told CBS Los Angeles after she was released from jail on Wednesday. "It was clearly wrong on my part, and I certainly don't want to do it again because I certainly don't want to do any jail time."
But she has her fans, too.
The entire incident made her an Internet heroine of sorts and supporters have raised more than $1,300 on crowd-funding website GoFundMe to send her to Hawaii, where she has mentioned she would like to travel.