Couple Buys Baby Shower Gift at Florida Goodwill and Parents-to-Be Discover Hidden Gun in Box
A Florida couple thinking they had purchased the perfect baby shower gift was in for quite the surprise recently when they learned that there was a hidden gun inside the box.
Veronica Alvarez-Rodriguez said she was thrilled to come across a brand new Baby Einstein’s bouncer at a Goodwill store in Valparaiso ahead of a baby shower on Sunday, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.
“It was like the perfect gift for the baby shower,” Alvarez-Rodriguez told the outlet of the unopened box, which cost her $9.99.
However, Alvarez-Rodriguez’s excitement soon turned to shock when she arrived at the shower and presented the gift to the father-to-be.
As he opened the box, the father-to-be discovered a rifle inside along with live ammunition.
“You guys got me a gun!” he reportedly told Alvarez-Rodriguez and her husband in front of their guests, according to the outlet.
RELATED: Georgia Child Receives Box of Legos and Discovers $40,000 Worth of Meth Inside
The partygoers were understandably confused by the gift — some finding it amusing and laughing, while others, like Alvarez-Rodriguez and her husband, were visibly surprised.
Officers with the Crestview Police Department (CPD) were eventually called to the scene to investigate the situation, as well as confirm that the people who discovered the rifle were not felons.
In a press release from the CPD, a spokesperson said authorities determined that the item “could have been dropped off at any of the Goodwill Drop Boxes between Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, before being distributed at the Valparaiso location.”
The CPD spokesperson added that officers ran the number of the rifle through a national database to confirm that it had not been stolen and that they did not find any information that indicated the gun was associated with criminal activity.
Authorities are currently awaiting the results from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to determine where the rifle was purchased, who the rightful owner is, and how it was donated to Goodwill.
A representative for Goodwill did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
RELATED VIDEO: New Jersey Kindergartner Allegedly Brought 30 Bags of Heroin to School in Lunch Box
In the meantime, the gun has been voluntarily relinquished to law enforcement by the father-to-be and he has received a new bouncer from the manufacturing company, the CPD spokesperson said.
“This case remains under investigation and this incident highlights the importance of responsible gun ownership,” the spokesperson wrote.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Crestview Police Department at (850) 682-3544.
