Phoenix Couple Stole Hundreds Of Bags At Airport
Dave BondTwo Americans have been arrested for having stolen as many as 1000 pieces of luggage from baggage carousels at Phoenix’s international airport.
Local police have found piles of the stolen pieces of luggage scattered around their home.
Police said there were so many bags that they could only give a rough estimate of their quantity, as they gathered them in the backyard of the suspected thieves, Stacy Lynne Legg-King and Keith Wilson King.
According to Phoenix police detective James Holmes, one or two going missing from the airport baggage carrousel could easily happen, but in this case, he added, it’s an income. He said the couple had made several victims.
The perpetrators, 61-year-old King and 38-year-old Legg-King, were apprehended on Monday, and each was charged with theft of property as well as possession of stolen property and Legg-King has also got the extra charge of tampering with evidence.
Detective Holmes said police investigators cannot tell for how long this had been going on or if any other individuals had been involved in the thefts. He noted that all the luggage tags that could identify the owners of the bags had been discarded.
King was first arrested by police three weeks ago on a misdemeanour theft charge when a police officer on duty at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport saw him take a piece of luggage from a baggage carousel. He was released, but police kept track of his subsequent actions at the airport.
Police officers saw King return to the airport on Monday and witnessed him repeat the offence. This time, they let him drive back home with the stolen property. This is when they found the piles of other baggages.
According to detective Holmes, the house was in a complete mess, with bags, clothing and other personal items scattered all over the premises.
Phoenix airport spokeswoman Deborah Ostreicher said that as a cost-cutting measure, carriers stopped verifying their passengers’ baggage claim tickets sometime during the last decade. She added that the airport was considering other security options.
She said passengers could avoid grief stemming from stolen baggage by never leaving valuable items in checked luggage and by having a bag that is easily identifiable and clearly marked.
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