The D.C. attorney general charged Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York with setting off a fire alarm in a House office building when there was no emergency.
Bowman was summoned to appear in D.C. Superior Court Thursday, where the congressman is expected to plead guilty. He will also be booked, fingerprinted and processed on the misdemeanor charge.
If he adheres to the terms of the deal with the D.C. District Attorney’s Office, including three months of probation, the misdemeanor charge will be dismissed. The agreement also requires that Bowman make a formal apology to the US Capitol Police and pay a $1,000 fine for falsely setting off a fire alarm, his office told CNN.
“I am grateful for the swift resolution of the District of Columbia Attorney’s Office in this case, and I am grateful that the United States Capitol Police General Counsel’s Office agreed that I did not obstruct, and did not intend to obstruct, any vote or action in the House of Representatives,” Bowman said. In a statement on Wednesday, he said: I am responsible for activating the fire alarm, and I will pay the fine issued, and I look forward to eventually dropping these charges.
The D.C. Attorney’s Office said in a statement that Bowman “was treated like any other person who violates the law in the District of Columbia.” Based on the evidence provided by the Capitol Police, we charged the only crime we have jurisdiction to prosecute. He pleaded guilty and agreed to pay the maximum fine, the office said.
Bowman was caught on tape pulling the fire alarm at the Cannon House office building in late September, shortly before a vote was scheduled on a government funding bill. The building was subsequently evacuated.
AFP