Accused Of Taking Valuables Left On Airplanes Rather Than Turning Them In

Two airline cabin cleaning crew workers at Lambert St. Louis International Airport have been accused of stealing valuable items left on airplanes that are supposed to be turned into the Airlines.

The two workers were employed by Airport Terminal Services, which is based in St. Louis but has contracts at 35 airports around the country. They provide cabin cleaning and baggage handling services for the airlines.

The website slttoday.com reports police set up a sting operation following an anonymous tip about the possible thefts. An iPad and a Nintendo DS video game were planted on an airliner that was to be cleaned by ATS. It was boarded by 23-year-old Jessie A. Webb III, and it was later discovered that the game console was no longer on the airplane. He re-boarded the plane later, and after about five minutes hurried off the aircraft with a magazine. The iPad was discovered missing as well.

Police searched the seven ATS employees on duty and found both the items in a backpack belonging to 25-year-old Cornelius L. Palm, who said he had agreed to take the items he knew to be stolen from Webb. Both have been charged with felony theft.

ATS Employee Services representative Peggy Hohl told the website that, as a company, there is "zero tolerance for any kind of pilferage."

FMI: www.atsstl.com