More thefts at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, baggage worker arrested

PHOENIX - Police have taken an airport worker into custody and accused him of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of belongings from passengers' bags at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Michael Hegstad, 23, was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon. He will face one count of burglary and one count of trafficking in stolen property, according to Sgt. Steve Martos, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department.

Martos said on August 26, officers working at the airport saw Hegstad taking boxes from the conveyor belt and removing the contents. As he was being questioned by police, Hegstad admitted to numerous other thefts, explaining he removed personal belongings from travelers' luggage as it moved through the conveyor system.

Martos said police are still investigating the time frame in which items had been taken from people's bags.

Currently, they are trying to inventory items, which included electronics, to figure out the dates on which they were taken.

Martos said many victims may be from other countries, so they are asking people not to call the police department with concerns until they are able to sort through the recovered merchandise.

Martos said the police department will likely have a special hotline for potential victims to call as early as next week.

According to Martos, Hegstad is an employee of Elite Line Services, a business subcontracted through the airport.

ABC15 has contacted Elite Line Services several times for a comment but no one has responded to our request.

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