Los Angeles

“Serial Stowaway” Sentenced to Jail

The serial stowaway arrested at LAX this month, just a day after she managed to board an LA-bound flight without a ticket and was warned to stay away from the airport, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly six months in jail.

Marilyn Hartman, 62, was sentenced to 177 days after admitting Wednesday to having violated her probation, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said.

Hartman was first arrested Aug. 4 at Los Angeles International Airport after Los Angeles police say she got through security at Mineta San Jose International Airport and boarded an LA-bound flight.

After pleading no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge on Aug. 6, she was ordered to 24 months probation and told to "stay away from LAX."

The following day, she was arrested again at LAX after being seen wandering through terminals, LAX officials said. 

"I just knew she would come back," said Los Angeles World Airports Police Chief Pat Gannon after her second arrest. "She is a serial attempter of being a stowaway."

Hartman said after her release last week that was trying to reach Hawaii but did not say how she bypassed security. She described herself as homeless and "desperate."

Hartman has previously breached security at San Francisco International Airport and has a history of trying to get on flights without a ticket, officials said. She had at least seven encounters with police at SFO and was arrested four times, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

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