Honest airport worker lands handsome reward

updated 1:46 p.m. ET June 14, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A national jewelry store chain plans to give a Kansas City man a hefty award for turning in a lost cargo bag containing $266,000 worth of jewelry.

Helzberg Diamonds said it would give 36-year-old Robert Lewis a $10,000 reward for his honesty and make a $5,000 donation to Jackson County Court Appointed Special Advocates in his honor.

Lewis, a Midwest Airlines worker, discovered the 40-pound orange bag belonging to Helzberg at about 9 p.m. Monday at Kansas City International Airport after finishing a 17-hour workday at his second job at the Kansas City Airport Marriott.

After Lewis peeked into the bag to find individually wrapped diamond rings and wedding bands, he turned the sack over to police.

Helzberg CEO Marvin Beasley said Lewis is a "shining example of what makes Kansas City a great place to live and work."

Helzberg officials said the jewelry had been picked up earlier Monday by a Brinks Inc. armored vehicle for delivery to the New York area.

Brinks spokesman Greg Hanno said the case is under investigation.

Despite the honesty, Lewis had a brief moment when he thought of keeping the bag.

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"For one second, I thought, 'I could bury this in my backyard and then pull it out when I'm 60 years old or so,'" he said. "By then, no one would remember it."

Lewis, who has worked at the Marriott for 12 years, took the second job to help pay for his own wedding.

He plans to pay off credit cards, remodel his condo and start a savings account for his kids.

"They could have just told me, 'Thank you,' and walked away," he said, "so I truly appreciate this."

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