Bowman’s guilty plea has been withdrawn and he will not need to return to court next week, as it was scheduled
A D.C. judge dismissed on Thursday the charges against Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who pleaded guilty after pulling the fire alarm in a House building.
Bowman pleaded guilty to one count of willfully and knowingly pulling a fire alarm during House voting on a stopgap spending measure in September. His guilty plea to the misdemeanor has been withdrawn and he will not need to return to court next week, as it was scheduled.
Videos show Bowman pulling a fire alarm in the Capitol, showing the congressman take warning signs off of a set of doors before pulling the fire alarm.
Bowman said he was attempting to exit the office building and clarified that he did not intend to cause a fire alarm or security concern and was not trying to disrupt or delay House procedure. Before that, however, he admitted to and apologized for pulling the alarm, which delayed voting by forcing members to evacuate the building for more than an hour.