‘Violent’ offender found deputy’s gun in restroom stall and sold it, Florida cops say

A Florida deputy’s pistol ended up in the wrong hands when it slipped unnoticed from his gun belt in a public restroom stall, according to investigators.

It was still there — in a toilet paper roll — when a “violent felony offender” out on probation stepped into the stall, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

What followed was a series of bad choices, leading to two men being accused of taking the Sig Sauer P320 and selling the $600 gun for “$40 via a CashApp,” WESH reports.

“The firearm has since been recovered,” the sheriff’s office told McClatchy News.

Investigators say the pistol went missing around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, when a deputy stopped at a RaceTrac convenience store in Oviedo to use the restroom. Oviedo is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Orlando.

Layers of equipment, including a bullet-proof vest and gun belt, had to be removed in the stall, and it was during the strip down that the gun worked itself loose, an affidavit reports.

“After leaving the RaceTrac and responding to a call for service, (the deputy) discovered his gun was missing form his gun belt, so he returned to the RaceTrac to check the restroom,” officials said. “He did not see it in the restroom.”

Surveillance video revealed two men visited the restroom after the deputy, and one is seen walking out of the store with something hidden in his waistband, officials said.

A license tag search led deputies to the suspects, who said they found the weapon “sticking out of a toilet paper roll,” officials said.

“Both stated they did not attempt to contact law enforcement or inform the employees of the RaceTrac gas station that they located a firearm in the restroom,” officials said.

The suspects, who are ages 26 and 23, were arrested Aug. 30 and charged with grand theft of a firearm, failure to report lost or abandoned property valued and dealing in stolen property, officials said.

In addition, the man who is out on felony probation was charged with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted Florida felon, officials said.

This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 10:57 AM with the headline "‘Violent’ offender found deputy’s gun in restroom stall and sold it, Florida cops say."