CHICAGO — Former representative Mel Reynolds was arrested in Atlanta on Monday and released on his own recognizance after failing to appear for a hearing in a tax case last month, federal officials said.

Reynolds, who had been in South Africa with his 23-year-old daughter, appeared in federal court in Atlanta and was released, Assistant US Attorney Joseph Fitzpatrick in Chicago said in an e-mail.

Reynolds was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport when his flight arrived from Johannesburg, US Marshals Service spokeswoman Belkis Cantor Sandoval said. He has pleaded not guilty on a misdemeanor charge of failing to file income tax returns from 2009 to 2012.

An arrest warrant was issued for Reynolds on March 31 when he told a judge he wouldn’t appear in court as ordered because he’s caring for a daughter whom he says has scoliosis and may also have cervical cancer.

A Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar, Reynolds resigned his Seconnd Congressional District seat in 1995 after being convicted of statutory rape for having sex with a 16-year-old campaign worker. He served 2½ years in state prison.

Associated Press