Fayetteville police searching for women accused of stealing lost phone

Women accused of stealing lost property

Fayetteville Police are looking for three women who kept a delivery driver?s phone left behind on a store counter. People who find and don?t return lost property risk being charged with a crime. The Georgia law is called Theft of Mislaid Property, so besides the ethical considerations, there are legal consequences.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - Fayetteville Police are looking for three women who allegedly stole a delivery driver’s phone by claiming it belonged to them after he left it behind.

What we know:

The crime was captured on surveillance video.

Fayetteville Police say it happened at a convenience store when a delivery driver was fulfilling online purchases. After the phone is left behind at the counter, the next customer is seen on video holding it up and asking if it belongs to anyone. A woman steps forward, takes the phone and joins two other friends. Police say she was not owner and the are looking to identify all three women. Police say the law is called theft of mislaid property.

Why you should care:

Police say Georgia law is pretty clear that finding something doesn’t mean you get to keep it. So the old adage "finders keepers, losers weepers," could get in trouble with law, and maybe even your mother.

"Knowing that it doesn’t belong to you in an attempt to keep it for yourself is the basis of that law," said Capt. David Cagle of the Fayetteville Police Department. He says by keeping the item, you are denying the rightful owner of the use of it.

Another consideration is that you might get caught on camera taking the lost property. In the case of the three women, police have published a BOLO asking the public for information leading to their arrest. So besides being a crime, there are ethical considerations which could lead to embarrassment and land you on the naughty list, not to mention what your mother might say.

Police say you should take the lost property to the nearest police station or sheriff’s office and turn it in to authorities. They will give you a receipt, write a report and try to find the owner.

What you can do:

If you know who the three women accused of stealing the phone are, contact police.