A 26-year-old man who worked as a baggage handler at Portland International Airport was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of stealing six guns checked in passengers' luggage.

Deshawn A. Kelly is alleged to have stolen from five people who checked their bags at the Portland airport between Aug. 28 and Sept. 18, court records show. All of them reported their handguns missing after getting their luggage back at their final destinations.

A Portland police detective placed replica guns in bags twice as bait to determine who was swiping the firearms and narrowed it down to Kelly, according to a probable cause affidavit. Investigators searched Kelly's home Tuesday and found five of the six guns reported missing, and Kelly admitted taking them, the affidavit said.

Court documents show he was convicted in July of attempted possession of a rented or leased motor vehicle, a felony under Oregon law barring him from having or handling guns.

Kelly remains held Thursday in the Multnomah County Detention Center on accusations of first-degree theft and felon in possession of a firearm.

The Port of Portland said Thursday that Kelly was employed at the airport through a contract company, confirmed he was suspected of stealing guns from luggage and mentioned that the case has been referred to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office and U.S. Attorney's Office for review.

Kelly told court staff at the jail that he was fired from his job the day of his arrest, documents show. He said he'd been working there for seven months.

Kelly reported taking the guns to help provide for his son and the boy's mother, the court papers said. He said the electricity had been cut off in their home and they were close to being evicted.

According to the affidavit, police checked a bag with a replica gun inside on Sept. 11 and determined Kelly as the worker likely swiping the firearms. Another bag with a replica gun was sent through security six days later and Kelly was seen taking the bait bag and a passenger's bag with a firearm and later putting them back.

The police bag had damaged locks, the affidavit said, and looked as if someone tried to pry the locks off the gun case.

— Everton Bailey Jr.



ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey