A Baker County Women was forced to put her Rolex on a scanning belt, despite her resisting, and when she went to get it, it was gone. The $24,000 Rolex was given to her by her husband on her 50th birthday. After the agency rejected her claim letter and her congressman was unsuccessful in an intervention, she decided to sue.

Paulene Showalter, 63, stated that they had called her a liar and treated her bad. She works as a secretary for Duval County Public Defender Matthew Shirk. The TSA spokeswomen couldn’t speak on a particular case in litigation as she said that over 2.5 million pieces of luggage pass screening every day with reports of missing property coming at no less then 45 a day.

TSA claims that Showalter did not have a Rolex on that day. Showalter angrily denies this. Unfortunately, security cameras weren’t working. However, there were witnesses that are able to verify that she was wearing that type of watch on that particular day.

Showalter was put through a security screening. She asked to be allowed to hold her watch, but was refused. Then she was put through a second security check. Again, she was denied to get her watch. By the time she returned to the conveyor belt, her Rolex was gone. TSA stated that its passengers may choose to wear jewelry through the walk-through metal detector or they can get it immediately after exiting the X-ray. The agency said that if additional screening is required, the jewelry is inspected in view of the owner.

If an additional screening is done, TSA policy doesn’t require that the property be brought to them if they could see it. Showalter became hysterical after the incident. She asked for the police to be called, but was instead asked by the security officers to leave. Police were called after she met up with a lawyer co-worker a the airport. Coker said that if the statements made to Crenshaw are true, then TSA had violated its own policies.