Rep. Jamaal Bowman pleads guilty to a misdemeanor for pulling a fire alarm in House office building

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic congressman Jamaal Bowman has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count for triggering a fire alarm as lawmakers scrambled to pass a funding bill before a government shutdown deadline in September. Under an agreement with prosecutors, Bowman will pay a $1,000 fine and serve three months of probation. After that, the false fire alarm is expected to be dismissed. The alarm forced the evacuation of a House office building for over an hour on Sept. 30. The New York lawmaker acknowledged pulling the alarm but said it was a mistake as he tried to open a locked door in a rush to get to vote.