AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin woman is charged with theft after police say she stole bags from the baggage claim area at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
According to an arrest affidavit, on Saturday an airport employee saw 37-year-old Natalie Abrams take the bags from the carousel. The employee said she first saw Abrams take a black travel bag that was in front of the American Airlines baggage claim and take it to the women’s restroom. The affidavit says the employee then saw Abrams leave the restroom without it.

Once again, the employee said Abrams came back to the American Airlines baggage claim and grabbed a pink bag, which she also took into the restroom. That’s when the employee called police.
“I’m not surprised, because we hear about it periodically,” said traveler Joy Grisoli. “You just hope it’s not going to happen to you.”
Officers found Abrams at the bus stop outside the airport terminal with the pink bag. They say she had a Garmin navigation device, which she told them she took from the stolen pink bag.
“The airport has multiple layers of security,” added ABIA spokesperson Jim Halbrook. “We have surveillance, we have cameras, and probably one of the most important things we have — our employees are all trained on what to look for.
Abrams is currently in the Travis County Jail charged with felony theft.
According to court records, Abrams has four prior theft convictions from the past five years.