‘Serial stowaway’ with history of attempting to sneak onto flights could wind up in mental health court
Chicago TribuneJun 14, 2021
The woman known as the “serial stowaway” for her penchant for attempting to sneak onto flights could be transferred this summer to a specialized “problem-solving court” for defendants with mental health concerns.
Admission to Cook County’s mental health court would mean a court-monitored treatment plan for
While Judge
Among other requirements, defendants in mental health court must have a diagnosed mental illness and have no recent history of violent crime. Hartman is believed to meet those criteria.
Defendants on the mental health court docket, overseen by Judge
Entry into the program would mean Hartman avoids the prison sentence Chiampas said she would likely insist upon. Before Hartman’s most recent arrest, her attorney had reached a plea deal with prosecutors that would have sentenced her to probation.
But Chiampas said she would not sign off on that, noting that Hartman has repeatedly violated terms of probation and bond.
With some consternation, Chiampas noted in court Monday that Hartman has had cases in her courtroom since 2018, but her attorney only recently raised the possibility of mental health court.
Hartman, 69, is in custody after her most recent arrest at the O’Hare International Airport CTA station violated the terms of her probation and her previous bail bond.
Hartman left her residential facility without permission in March, prosecutors have said. Authorities tracked her ankle bracelet to the O’Hare CTA station, where she was arrested without incident.
Hartman has gained national notoriety for attempting to sneak into airports and onto flights around the country. Perhaps the most serious recent case came in
She was sentenced to probation, but violated it in
Hartman spent time in
She stayed at that facility until her most recent arrest, and has been in custody at
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