A retired woman was arrested late last month at San Francisco International Airport after she tried for a third time to sneak on to a plane bound for Hawaii. Although she didn't get off the ground, former legal secretary Marilyn Hartman claimed she is dying of cancer and wanted to go finish her life someplace warm.

Although the San Mateo County District Attorney says he's not sure if Hartman's story is true, she does have a knack for breaching the security checkpoint at SFO without a ticket. She was first stopped on February 15th, when she followed a group of people having their IDs checked and slipped past TSA agents. She made it all the way onto a plane without a ticket and even took a seat before she was discovered and removed by flight attendants.

A few days later on February 18th she was stopped right at the security gate, but was released because of her unassuming appearance. "She's a woman in her sixties," San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told KTVU. "One doesn't normally think about that as being a terrorist."

Hartman's retirement scheme was finally grounded on February 20th, when was arrested for trying to use a discarded boarding pass. She was booked and pleaded no contest on two misdemeanor charges of commercial burglary. Hartman served eight days in the San Mateo County jail. She has since been released but will have to carry out 18 months of probation and she's not allowed near SFO without a legitimate plane ticket.

For their part, the TSA says they've made some changes to prevent the piggybacking from happening again.

[KTVU]
[Chron]