A member of the United States House of Representatives is anticipated to enter a guilty plea for the alleged false activation of a fire alarm within a Capitol office building.

Congressman Jamaal Bowman issued a statement on Wednesday, expressing his intention to pay a fine and expressing optimism that the charges would ultimately be dismissed.

He faces a solitary charge of intentionally triggering a false fire alarm, as indicated in a court document.

The New York Democrat has maintained that the alarm went off accidentally.

The incident led to an hour-long evacuation and coincided with Democratic efforts to postpone a vote as they sought more time to review a stopgap funding bill and decide on their support for it.

Although Mr. Bowman stated that he triggered the alarm inadvertently on September 30, with the belief it would open a door while he was in a hurry, some Republicans accused him of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the bill's vote.

Mr. Bowman is scheduled to appear in Washington, D.C. on Thursday morning for his arraignment on the misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 and up to six months in prison.

As per CBS, the BBC's American partner, Mr. Bowman informed reporters on Wednesday that he would pay the fine and that the charges might be dropped after three months if he adheres to the bail conditions. He characterized the incident as a "lapse in judgment."
He will also write an apology letter.

"Congressman Bowman was treated like anyone else who violates the law in the District of Columbia," the spokesperson for the attorney general for the District of Columbia said.

"Based on the evidence presented by Capitol Police, we charged the only crime that we have jurisdiction to prosecute."

In an affidavit, Capitol police noted there were three signs near the door warning about activating emergency exits and fire alarms and that Mr Bowman had left the area quickly after the alarm was triggered. But the affidavit noted he had denied to police that the act was intentional or that he had meant to disrupt any official proceedings.

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