iPhone Lost in a Bar, 2010 Edition: Suspects Plead “Not Guilty”

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Remember that lost iPhone 4 from way back in spring 2010? Well it looks like the investigation the followed that unpleasant event, at least for Apple, reached the trial phase. The two suspects alleged to have sold the device to a tech blog have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft charges today.

The guys in question are Brian Hogan, who allegedly found the lost iPhone 4 in a bar and Robert Sage Wallower, who is also accused of possessing stolen property.

Judge Jonathan Karesh scheduled a pretrial hearing for October 11 with the actual trial set to start on November 28. Both man were released “on their own recognizance” and were not required to post bail.

That famous iPhone 4 prototype has been forgotten in a bar by Apple employee, who was also going to become famous afterwards, Robert Gray Powell. The phone then found its way to Gawker’s Gizmodo, as the media publication purchased it for $5,000. Soon after an extensive review was published, in April 2010, a couple months ahead of the actual launch of the device. The publication has not been charged with any crime.

What are the two man facing if found guilty? We’ll still have to wait for a proper verdict, but here are some of the laws they have allegedly broken:

Under a California law dating back to 1872, any person who finds lost property and knows who the owner is likely to be–but “appropriates such property to his own use”–is guilty of theft. In addition, a second state law says any person who knowingly receives property that has been obtained illegally can be imprisoned for up to one year.

While this first lost iPhone investigation is getting to a close, a new one has already started as another Apple employee has lost another unreleased iPhone prototype. But that’s a device that hasn’t been sold to any tech blog, or at least there’s no evidence to suggest that yet.