'Serial stowaway' woman arrested for second time in a month at Chicago airport

Marilyn Hartman has been arrested at the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix airports as well

Marilyn Hartman poses in this January 2018 photo provided by the Chicago Police Department. (Chicago Police Department via AP)

Marilyn Hartman, labelled as a "serial stowaway" for sneaking on to planes for several years, has been arrested once again at Chicago O'Hare International airport.

Ms Hartman, 66, had just been arrested on 14 January for sneaking past security at the same airport, without a passport or ticket and boarding a flight to London. She had been detained at Heathrow and returned to the US.

According to Chicago police, she was arrested on a misdemeanour criminal trespass to state land charge and on a violation of a bail bond.

She has been given $50,000 bond and an electronic monitoring device for her latest infraction.

Ms Hartman was not punished for violating the bond on her previous arrest but is scheduled to appear in court again on 31 January. In that case she was charged with one felony count for "theft or unauthorized control greater than $500," according to NBC News.

Her first bond did not officially restrict her travel to Chicago airports.

Her latest arrest came a little past midnight on Sunday morning when police responded to a disturbance call of a woman refusing to leave the airport. They later found her in Terminal 3.

The Transportation Security Administration, in charge of security at US airports, has not publicly responded to Ms Hartman's repeated circumvention of agents, metal detectors, and identification checks in one of the country's busiest airports.

The Cook County Sheriff's office policy chief Cara Smith argued that Ms Hartman's release after her initial arrest and return to the US was not in the best interest of security.

“Releasing any seriously mentally ill person without support and treatment is never a good idea...This order seriously reflects many things wrong with the criminal justice system," she told NBC News Chicago.

The Associated Press reported that Ms Hartman was sentenced to six months house arrest and two years mental health probation in 2016 as well.

Ms Hartman has been arrested numerous times for attempting to board flights without a ticket and refusing to leave airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix as well.