Jury convicts woman of stealing iPad

A jury rejected a woman’s claim that she picked up another woman’s iPad by mistake while they were at the National Tire and Battery store in Stafford, and instead convicted her of a misdemeanor count of theft.

Stephanie Sanders, 47, of Houston, a special education schoolteacher, was sentenced to 14 months of probation, ordered to pay a fine and court costs, perform community service work and donate $50 to Crime Stoppers.  

She was convicted Feb. 1 in County Court at Law No. 1 before Judge Ben W. Bud Childers of stealing the iPad of another customer while she was distracted.

Assistant District Attorney Ali Korfin said the victim was at the NTS store Aug. 8 to have her car serviced and was waiting in the lobby with her iPad and a newspaper in hand while the work was being done. Sanders, another customer, also was in the lobby.

Korfin contended that the victim, at one point, laid her iPad down on a display while she read the newspaper. A few minutes later, the woman walked away to speak to a store employee.

After realizing she did not have her iPad, the woman checked the lobby and her own car, and not finding it in either place, she notified store manager Sal Nunez.

Nunez reviewed a surveillance tape of the lobby, which showed Sanders approach the iPad after the other woman walked to the front counter. Sanders appeared to look in all directions and then laid a magazine on top of the iPad. A few seconds later, Sanders picked up the magazine and the iPad, place them both in her purse and left the store.

According to testimony, Nunez called Sanders and asked about the missing iPad, but she denied taking it. Even after telling her he had a video of her taking the computer, she still denied having it. Twenty minutes after the store manager told her he was calling the police, Sanders called back and said she would return the iPad, which she had just found in her purse.

When she finally arrived at the store, Nunez said Sanders brought two black iPads with her.

Sanders testified she thought the iPad was hers when she saw it laying on the display.