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'It Was Stupid,' Woman Says Of Her Stowaway Trip To LAX

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — A woman who made it through airport security without a boarding pass and took a Southwest Airlines flight from San Jose to LAX has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Marilyn Jean Hartman entered her plea to willfully and unlawfully entering Los Angeles as a stowaway on an aircraft, a misdemeanor, in an L.A. courtroom Wednesday.

City attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan says Hartman was ordered to 24 months of probation and three days in jail, which she was credited with serving since her arrest Monday.

Hartman also was ordered to stay away from the L.A. airport unless she has a ticket to board a flight.

She spoke with KCAL9's Juan Fernandez after she was released from custody Wednesday, and said she boarded the plane to call attention to an issue, which she declined to identify. She did say, however, that she "wouldn't dare" do it again.

"It was stupid, and it's something I don't want to repeat," Hartman said. "It was clearly wrong on my part, and I certainly don't want to do it again because I certainly don't want to do any jail time."

Hartman would not explain how she got past security and gate agents without a ticket.

The Chicago native says she's a retired secretary who is homeless and had $4.25 to her name as she left the L.A. jail

Fernandez reports she was given instructions to a nearby shelter upon her release.

Hartman has attempted to board flights at San Francisco International Airport,  where she is also banned, six times this year, raising her profile and resulting in supporters raising more than $1,200 on crowd-funding website GoFundMe to send her to Hawaii.

Fernandez reports she had told people in the past she had cancer and wanted to travel to the state.

She said Wednesday, however, that she did not have cancer and wasn't sure where she is headed to.

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said the company is cooperating with the police investigation.

"Southwest's number one priority is the Safety and Security of our Customers and Employees. In addition to investigating internally, Southwest continues to work with all relevant regulatory agencies, including the TSA," the airline said.

The Transportation Security Administration also released a statement about the incident: "The individual was screened along with all other passengers to ensure that she was not a security threat to the aircraft. Following an initial review by TSA at San Jose International Airport, the agency has initiated minor modifications to the layout of the document checking area to prevent another incident like this one."

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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