'Serial Stowaway' Arrested Again At Chicago's O'Hare, Midway Airports

By Jim Bochnowski in News on Jul 6, 2015 4:00PM

Picture via Cook County Sheriff's Office

A Chicago woman infamous for being a "serial stowaway" was arrested twice this weekend at both O'Hare and Midway airports.

The woman, Marilyn Hartman, has become a bit of a celebrity for her repeated successes at illegally sneaking onto airplanes. After being arrested in O'Hare back in May, SFist wrote that she "seems to have bounced, virtually homeless, between Chicago, San Diego, Seattle, and Maui over the last few years."

At the time of her arrest, Judge William Raines told Hartman, "You continue to do this over and over again and I'm concerned," according to ABC7. She was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and told that if she wanted to fly, she needed approval from the court. Cook County Public Defender Parle Roe-Taylor told ABC, "The judge asked her if she was in any position to post bond. She is not currently working and she is homeless."

On Thursday, she was released after serving time in Cook County Jail for two months. She seemed contrite in an interview with ABC:

"Even smart people do stupid things," she said. "I wouldn't want to encourage that behavior because I'm as concerned for security as everyone else."

Her time out of jail didn't last long. After boarding a flight at Midway for which she, in fact, had a ticket, she was escorted off the plane for "causing a disturbance," the according to the Chicago Tribune. She was charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, and later released from custody.

On Saturday, she attempted to push her luck even further and tried to, once again, sneak into O'Hare without a ticket. Despite her previous successes, she was, once again, arrested and charged with criminal trespassing and with violating her bond on previous charges, the Tribune reports.