chicago555 Posted January 27, 2015 at 07:02 AM Posted January 27, 2015 at 07:02 AM A Lake County sheriff's sergeant apparently left his assault weapon on the trunk of his car, then drove away without realizing his mistake until the weapon was recovered from the middle of an intersection, officials said Monday.The man who found the weapon, Eric Koehler, 38, said he had just picked up his kids from his ex-wife's house in the Lancaster Falls subdivision near Wauconda on Sunday afternoon when he spotted a black bag in the street.Eric Koehler found an AR-15 in a gun bag and told police. It was traced to the Lake County sheriff's office. (Stacey Wescott, Chicago Tribune)"I own a couple of guns myself so I recognize the case," said Koehler, who, finding the bag heavy, put it in the back of his truck. "I didn't want to freak out my kids. … I thought, when I get home, I'll take a look and see what it is."Once at home in McHenry, Koehler said he called police after unloading a 20- to 25-round magazine from the .223-caliber weapon, which was identified as government property. McHenry police traced the rifle to the Lake County Sheriff's Office and contacted the department, which sent a deputy to pick it up, according to a police report. Lake County officials are investigating the incident, which Undersheriff Ray Rose described as "a very serious matter.""What happened is, he had his car in for service and was switching cars," Rose said. "He put this rifle on the trunk of his personal car and left, not realizing he had left it unsecured, and it fell off."He added: "If the investigation validates that, it's simply unacceptable."No one was hurt. McHenry police closed the case after turning the firearm over to Lake County authorities, according to a police report.Authorities declined to identify the Lake County sheriff's employee assigned to carry the firearm, though Rose confirmed the employee's rank as sergeant. The sergeant had not been placed on leave, Rose said.The two-page police report — released by McHenry police after the Tribune filed an open records request — was labeled at the top: "Press excluded." McHenry police did not respond to requests for further information.It was not clear how long the weapon remained in the roadway before Koehler came upon it.Law enforcement officers commonly carry the AR-15, which has replaced the shotgun because it is more accurate, Rose said.Koehler, whose children are 7 and 11, said that once he reached his apartment, he settled his kids and then went to a closed bedroom to inspect the weapon. After he unloaded it, he called his ex-wife to see if anyone had reported the weapon missing because he knew several police officers live in the neighborhood."I didn't want to get anyone in trouble over it, but I wouldn't want to leave it in the road," said Koehler, adding that many children live in that neighborhood."I am glad I found it … so nobody can do God-knows-what with it." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-sheriff-lost-assault-rifle-returned-met-20150126-story.html
jester121 Posted January 27, 2015 at 11:13 AM Posted January 27, 2015 at 11:13 AM Wonder if McHPD validated Koehler's FOID card?
bmyers Posted January 27, 2015 at 12:39 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 12:39 PM Good thing he wasn't in Chicago they would of arrested the poor guy for being in possession of AW even though he was just trying to give it back to the police.
RoadyRunner Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:31 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:31 PM I hate the term 'assault-style'. Sheesh. I guess it is the Tribune.
2A4Cook Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:37 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:37 PM What if he'd owned a boat, and tried to assault Cuba with it?
Klaxongreg Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:51 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:51 PM I left a radio pack on the hood of the squad once and drove off. Luckily it dropped in some bushes for easy retrieval. No one was the wiser. But a rifle? No way. That's a career ending mistake.
Hap Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:55 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 01:55 PM Maybe those cities and counties with AWBs having LE exemptions should rethink the exemptions.
WillT Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:23 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:23 PM I hate the term 'assault-style'. Sheesh. I guess it is the Tribune. I don't know...chances are this was a full auto AR, so it might actually have been a legitimate assault weapon.
borgranta Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:33 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:33 PM Was this a full auto rifle? If so it is fortunate that the guy was not arrested for being in possession of an a full auto in violation of law.
Yas Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:49 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:49 PM Did officer immediately report lost or stolen firearm? Kudos to the good law abiding gun owner that found it and turned it back in! Poor guy (officer). Thats going to be a hard incident to live down in the squad room for the rest of his career.
Yas Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:57 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:57 PM This mornings tribune has picture of our hero! scared copy of todays article:Police rifle lost illinois 1:25:2015.pdf
Jeffrey Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:58 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 02:58 PM I hate the term 'assault-style'. Sheesh. I guess it is the Tribune. I don't know...chances are this was a full auto AR, so it might actually have been a legitimate assault weapon. Did you forget purple?
WillT Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:04 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:04 PM I hate the term 'assault-style'. Sheesh. I guess it is the Tribune. I don't know...chances are this was a full auto AR, so it might actually have been a legitimate assault weapon. Did you forget purple? no.
framos242 Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:37 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:37 PM Someone's in trouble.... Thankfully it didn't fall into the wrong hands.
spec5 Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:56 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:56 PM $ Should have taken it to the range first just to just make sure it was full auto. $
Kaeghl Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:56 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 03:56 PM I hate the term 'assault-style'. Sheesh. I guess it is the Tribune. I don't know...chances are this was a full auto AR, so it might actually have been a legitimate assault RIFLE Fify......We all know the thing about there not being such a thing as an "assault weapon".
Pipedoc Posted January 27, 2015 at 04:58 PM Posted January 27, 2015 at 04:58 PM Darn! All the parts I need for that lower receiver sitting in the safe for my next AR build.
WillT Posted January 29, 2015 at 04:45 AM Posted January 29, 2015 at 04:45 AM I hate the term 'assault-style'. Sheesh. I guess it is the Tribune. I don't know...chances are this was a full auto AR, so it might actually have been a legitimate assault RIFLE Fify......We all know the thing about there not being such a thing as an "assault weapon". The article used the word "weapon", so I used the word "weapon".
BrowningHP Posted January 29, 2015 at 04:45 PM Posted January 29, 2015 at 04:45 PM "AR-15 assault-style weapon" .. at least it wasn't an actual "assault weapon", those are very dangerous
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.