Most of the time, police are in the news for recovering stolen iPads. Now an officer has made headlines for suspicion of stealing the must-have gadget.
A police officer was put on paid administrative leave on suspicion of swiping an iPad at the airport. She says she “found it” after going through a TSA security checkpoint.
Kelly Janeth Mejia, 25, has been on the force for six years in Fullerton, California. She was arrested last month after she was suspected of stealing an iPad from a fellow traveler at a security checkpoint in Miami International Airport.
Mejia told police she found the iPad, according to the arrest report. When asked what she planned to do with it, the report quotes Mejia saying, “Keep it.”
“She had seen the iPad in the bin and placed her bag of check in over it and walked away with it,” the report stated.
In a written statement to police, Mejia said she didn’t see who placed the iPad in the bin and picked it up as “found property.”
“I sat down in my waiting area and did not see the flight workers in the area and was unable to turn in the notebook prior to being contacted by the police,” Mejia stated.
Unfortunately for her, it looks like finders-keepers is not the case in Florida (just like California, with the lost iPhone case) and because the value of the item is over $300 she could face grand theft charges.
Via OC Register
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7 responses to “Police officer charged with stealing iPad says it was “found” property”
She didn’t try to return it or turn it over to the airport as a lost item. Under Cali law, she stole it. Bad enough that someone did something like that, but a cop. WTF?
Thieve cop, not surprised
who would put an iPad in the bin anyway?
“Found property?” Really?
Does this rather stupid sounding thief think that iPads simply materialize spontaneously with no owner?
Doesn’t she understand that “things” like that usually “belong” to someone who has paid good money for the privilege of “owning” them?
My first though was that if she really does have that feeble a grasp of “ownership” she should not, under any circumstances, be a law enforcement officer.
Fullerton needs to move this person out of their police force before she causes them even more of a problem. (Hopefully theft charges will be pursued and she will be found guilty, and being convicted of theft will be enough to get her off the force.)