A California man is facing felony charges for allegedly stealing a woman’s phone as they prepared to board a flight at Midway International Airport.
Jermaine Harris, 33, of Fresno, was released to await trial following the March 19 incident, but he failed to appear in court, and a warrant is now issued for his arrest, according to public records.
The theft allegedly took place around 5:20 a.m. as Harris and a 23-year-old suburban woman stood at gate B1, preparing to board a Southwest Airlines trip to Denver.
According to the Chicago police report, Harris seized the woman’s phone and placed it in his jeans pocket. He refused to return it, sparking an argument that ended with a police reaction to the gate, according to the report.
During the custodial search, the cops allegedly discovered the woman’s phone in Harris’ jeans pocket.
Things worsened after Harris arrived at the Chicago Lawn (8th) District police station. A CPD supervisor said in Harris’ arrest report that he “damaged department computers and the fingerprint machine” in the district jail area.
Prosecutors say he also bit one officer on the hand, tearing the skin, and assaulted two other cops and prison aides.
Prosecutors charged him with felony theft, four counts of aggravated violence against a peace officer, and felony criminal damage to government property.
The woman missed her trip due to the incident, but Southwest booked her on another ticket departing the same morning.
