Two weeks ago, a passenger got off a Horizon Airlines flight from Reno, Nev. to San Jose, Calif., and realized he'd lost his iPad on the plane. Several days later, the man remembered that he'd installed the Find My iPad app on his missing device.
But when he plugged in his Apple ID and password, the iPad showed up right away — not in San Jose, where it presumably would have been misplaced, but in Oregon City, Ore. — at the home of a Horizon Airlines flight attendant.
Police began investigating eight days later and recovered the iPad at the home of 43-year-old Wendy Dye, according to the Oregon City News. When questioned by police, Dye denied being in possession of, or even knowing about, the iPad.
When pressed, she handed it over, insisting that she had forgotten to turn it into the airline, despite the fact that she'd worked on subsequent flights. She said she had never used it.
Police came across Dye's personal information on the device, including a calendar reminder for her husband's birthday. She was booked into the Clackamas County Jail on theft and computer crime charges on Sept. 21, the News reported. She's being held on $12,500 bail, more than the retail value of 15 64 GB iPads with cellular connectivity — the most expensive tablet Apple makes.
The iPad owner told police that he had stowed the device in his carry-on bag before the plane touched down in San Jose. Dye claims that a passenger turned the missing device in to her when the plane arrived at its final destination in Los Angeles.
The iPad and owner will be reunited, the News reported.
Follow Ben on Twitter @benkwx .