Serial stowaway Marilyn Hartman found to be unfit for trial

Marilyn Hartman, known as the "serial stowaway," has been found unfit for trial and will go to a locked mental health facility, a judge has ordered.

The woman known for repeated trespassing at Chicago airports returned to a Cook County courtroom Thursday.

A grand jury returned an indictment against Hartman for felony theft in February.

The indictment stems from a flight Hartman took from O'Hare to London in January without a ticket.

In that incident, she also went through a TSA checkpoint without showing an ID or boarding pass.

Hartman had been released after that case only to be arrested days later at O'Hare - a violation of the judge's order.

Since the re-arrest, Hartman has been held at Cook County Jail on no bond.

Hartman's attorney had argued that Hartman was not a danger to the community. The prosecutor argued that the facility was not locked and Hartman would be 20 minutes from transportation to either airport.

The judge denied the motion, so Hartman remained in jail.

"The risk of someone being injured in her case is almost non-existent," said Parle Roe-Taylor, Cook County Asst. Public Defender.

Hartman's attorney contends the jail is not the right place for a 66-year-old woman with a history of mental health issues and no violent offenses.

"She's certainly been afraid. She's tried to stay to herself and be as quiet and unassuming as she can be. It's day to day, it's difficult," Roe-Taylor said.