TSA Inspector at DFW Airport Accused of Stealing iPads

A Transportation Security Administration bag inspector is accused of stealing iPads from luggage.

Eight iPads have been stolen from travelers' checked bags in an eight-month period at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Clayton Keith Dovel, a 36-year-old TSA baggage inspector, has been charged with theft by a public servant. The TSA has suspended Dovel.

"The unacceptable behavior of this individual in no way reflects the dedication of our nearly 50,000 transportation security officers who work tirelessly to keep our skies safe," TSA said in a statement.

Police said technology on the iPads led investigators to Dovel.

University of Texas at Arlington student Borna Maira said his iPad disappeared from his bag while he was traveling to Iran in May 2011.

"I noticed my iPad was not in my luggage, and I thought, 'Maybe I made a mistake. Maybe I left it at my apartment,'" he said.

Police contacted him nine months later and told him that his device and seven others had been found at Dovel's Bedford home.

Maira said he was shocked.

"For my next trip, I'm not going to put anything valuable -- more than 20 bucks -- in my luggage," he said.

If Dovel is convicted of theft by a public servant, he could face two to 10 years in prison.

NBC 5 was unable to reach his attorney for comment Friday night.