HOUSTON – Reports of theft at Houston's airports spiked last year and are on track this year to be even higher, Houston Police told Local 2 Investigates.
There were 429 theft reports made in 2013 -- that's up 32 percent from 2012. There have been 356 theft reports at Bush Intercontinental Airport and 65 at Hobby Airport this year. That's a total of 421, and police said they expect many more during the busy holiday season.
The theft numbers do not include reports of burglary from a vehicle.
According to police, among items most likely to be stolen are cellphones, tablets and jewelry.
Kyle Lueders had her bag stolen at Bush Intercontinental Airport when it came in on a later flight than she did this summer.
"(The) replacement value was close to $4,000," she said.
Thieves stole her iPad, watch and ring and pawned them. Because she had the serial number of her iPad, police were able to search inventory of local pawn shops. They found a match and detectives were able to get the items back.
"Had we not had the serial number, we would have never found any of that stuff," she said police told her.
Lueders lost souvenirs from her trip to Europe and also many of her clothes that were in her suitcase.
She only had her tablet in her checked luggage because she was worried it would not be charged when she arrived into the United States. Customs agents have told flyers they must be prepared to turn on their devices when passengers arrive to prove they are working devices. If such devices cannot be turned on, flyers risk having their devices confiscated.
The two people allegedly involved in stealing Lueders' luggage have been arrested and charged.
Lueders said she wants other travelers to make sure they write down their serial numbers.
Have you ever had something stolen at the airport or while flying? Share your experience in the comments section below.
Have a tip for investigative reporter Jace Larson? Email or text him at jlarson@kprc.com or 713-635-9941.
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