Lu Parker, a former Miss USA and current KTLA news anchor, was arrested on Wednesday, November 2, after allegedly stealing headphones at LAX, the Associated Press reports.
The TV personality, who earned the title of Miss USA in 1994, was arrested after allegedly lifting a pair of earbud headphones from a TSA screening area in Terminal 6 around 7 a.m. at the Los Angeles airport, the news agency reported, citing a statement by airport police officer Rob Pedregon. According to TMZ, law enforcement spotted Parker, 48, taking the $200 headphones via CCTV cameras. Parker then reportedly took the earbuds onto her flight before she was taken into custody.
According to the statement from Pedregon, the owner of the headphones is robbery-homicide detective with the LAPD, and made the arrest as a private citizen.
A spokesperson for KTLA tells TMZ, however, that it was all a misunderstanding.
Parker noticed the headphones were left behind and “intended to return them to the owner whom she had been speaking with while in line to clear TSA,” the spokesperson explained. The spokesperson added that Parker was unable to find the owner of the headphones, so she boarded her flight.
The AP reports that the TV anchor was booked on suspicion of petty theft and later released.
Updates to come.
