Midway mechanic charged in sting By Jon Hilkevitch Tribune transportation reporter Published July 7, 2006, 8:13 PM CDT An airline mechanic at Midway Airport was arrested during his first day on the job in an undercover investigation targeting thefts of medical bags from planes, authorities said Friday. Anthony J. Donato, 30, a Southwest Airlines aircraft mechanic, appeared in court Friday on a charge of burglary of a Northwest Airlines aircraft in the June 30 incident at Midway, officials said. Northwest security officials observed Donato, of the 13400 block of Circle Drive in Crestwood, entering a Northwest plane parked at Midway and removing the medical bag from a closet, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office. Security officials stopped Donato and called Chicago police, officials said. "Northwest Airlines set up [the sting]. Donato had no authority to be on a Northwest plane," said state's attorney spokesman Andy Conklin. Donato, a certified mechanic who was working his first day for Southwest, has been fired, said Southwest spokeswoman Beth Harbin. A rash of thefts has occurred recently at Midway involving airline medical bags, which contain emergency equipment, bandages and drugs to treat ill passengers, officials said. Officials said the bags were likely resold on the black market. Burglary of an aircraft, a class 2 felony, carries a possible prison term of 3 to 7 years. Roger & Amanda La France