Serial Stowaway Marilyn Hartman Held Without Bond After Violating Electronic Monitoring During O'Hare Arrest
CHICAGO (CBS) -- "Serial stowaway" Marilyn Hartman, 69, was ordered held without bail in two of her cases and is being held on $100,000 bond on her new escape charge after being arrested at O'Hare International Airport Tuesday.
Hartman violated the terms of her electronic monitoring Tuesday by returning to O'Hare, despite repeated court orders to stay away from the airport without a boarding pass.
As CBS 2's Brandon Merano reported, Hartman appeared via Zoom in front of a judge for a bond hearing lasting about 20 minutes.
Judge David Navarro set Hartman's bond at $100,000 on the new charge of escape/violation of electronic monitoring.
Hartman is currently on probation for trespassing in earlier incident. Because this new charge occurred during her probation, the judge ordered her to be held without bond. Hartman is in custody in the Cook County Jail hospital.
Navarro said he will let Judge Peggy Chiampas, who is handling Hartman's earlier case, decide if she should get another chance to return to A Safe Haven on electronic monitoring. A Safe Haven is the nonprofit home where Hartman has been residing as she awaits trial in the earlier case.
Hartman's lawyer said her treatment at A Safe Haven had been working, and the facility is willing to take her back.
While he left a decision on Hartman's bond in her earlier cases up to Chiampas, Navarro clearly was not happy with Hartman's actions.
"You violated the terms of your electronic monitoring agreement. To add salt to the wound, you didn't just go for a walk, you went to the one place you weren't supposed to go," he said. "To do so is to snub your nose at the courts and the entire process."
Cook County prosecutors filed a petition to violate her electronic monitoring and a petition to violate her probation for the criminal trespass charge. A hearing on those petitions will be held on Monday. There is a no bond order on each of those cases.
Just two days after we heard her speak for the first time in an interview with CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards, Hartman was arrested again Tuesday at O'Hare's Terminal 1.
Hartman's public defender blamed that interview for Hartman's actions, saying she was "triggered by the interview."
"She was very upset by watching the interview and did not agree to the interview being broadcast," her lawyer said. "She was harassed by the reporter wanting her to give more interviews."
However, Hartman not only consented to being recorded for an interview with CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards, she thanked him for reaching out to her.
"Anyone who saw that interview never would have come to that same conclusion," CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said when asked about claims that Hartman was "triggered" by the interview. "It was clear that she wanted to be a part of it and she enjoyed it."
Hartman: "I really appreciate you reaching out to me that was a very nice letter and everything, and I like your reporting as well … I've given this a lot of thought and I'm willing to do this."
Edwards: "Can I record this call?"
Hartman: "You definitely can record it, that's fine," Hartman said.
"She confessed to the media," Assistant State's Attorney James Murphy said. "She promised she was done. She was only giving that interview because she would never take an illegal flight again, and then days later shows up at O'Hare."
Murphy said it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt if Hartman continues trespassing at airports.
"If you look up flight risk in the dictionary, her picture is going to be next to it," Murphy said.
Both the prosecution and the defense acknowledged Hartman's bipolar diagnosis in their arguments.
Hartman told Edwards: "I don't care if someone calls me crazy. I mean, the story is crazy.... It's like something out of a movie."
But according to mental health expert Cheryl Potts, Hartman's story is more complicated.
"In my opinion, the story of Ms. Hartman is the story of a woman living with a mental health disorder, and unfortunately, there are these behaviors that have led to involvement with the criminal justice system," Potts said.
Hartman's defense argued for another attempt at treatment, while the prosecution argued for a harsher penalty.
Miller said it is a tough decision.
"She could potentially get up to 15 years for all these violations and this new charge – and that's an absolute waste of taxpayers' money," Miller said.
Potts hopes people like Hartman will remember this story as one of hope for people dealing with disorders like Hartman's.
Chicago Police confirmed Tuesday that Hartman was arrested by its officers at O'Hare International Airport for criminal trespass.
A source told Edwards that Hartman's ankle bracelet was apparently not initially pinging — so she snuck away from custody at the West Side halfway house where sources said she is residing.
The Cook County Sheriff's office reported its Electronic Monitoring Unit investigators tracked her movement by the GPS on her ankle bracelet. The sheriff's office was notified that Hartman had left the residential facility, and began looking for her right away.
The sheriff's office said they notified Chicago Police that Hartman appeared to be headed to the airport and was in the area of Terminal 1 at 1:38 p.m.
A source said the Transportation Security Administration is familiar enough with Hartman that they spotted her and notified law enforcement. She made it to Terminal 2, but did not get farther than that. Meanwhile, an alarm siren was activated on Hartman's device and she was taken into custody, the sheriff's office said.
Late Thursday, Hartman was being held at Cermak Health Services adjacent to the jail.
CBS 2's Brandon Merano contributed to this report.
