Clinton County deputy under investigation after losing guns
VICTOR TWP. — An investigation is underway after a Clinton County Sheriff Office deputy lost two guns for more than an hour Sunday.
Undersheriff Mike Gute said a deputy who is part of the Clinton County Special Operations team, a special response team whose members keep special tactical equipment with them for faster response times, responded to a call for a high-risk felony search warrant shortly after 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Gute said the deputy threw his equipment, a case holding a rifle and tactical handgun, in the back of his personal truck and went to the sheriff’s office most likely between 2:45 and 3 p.m.
Upon reaching the office the deputy realized his tailgate had dropped down and the case had fallen out, Gute said.
The deputy immediately drove back down the road trying to find the missing case, all the way back to his home in Victor Township. Gute and other members were notified and started searching, starting at the home.
“We were going to, literally, if we had to, walk back to the department and see if we could find this case lying in a ditch somewhere,” he said.
Shortly after 4 p.m. one of the deputy’s neighbors contacted the sheriff’s office and said they had found the case with the weapons. Gute said the guns were missing for about an hour and 15 minutes to about 90 minutes. He said the guns were not loaded.
He said there was nothing malicious or criminal about the incident.
“It's unfortunate,” Gute said. “I wish, we all wish, it wouldn't have happened.”
He said an internal investigation is underway and could be wrapped up in the next couple weeks. The discipline could range from no action to a write up to termination depending on the deputy’s past discipline record.
Gute declined to say how long the deputy has been with the department, but said he is very good, hard worker and great employee with no past discipline record as far as he knows.
“He's coming in between shifts, while he's home sleeping, to assist the team to ultimately assist a victim in this county,” he said regarding the incident. “I'm very thankful that he answered the call and he was in route. It's just unfortunate this happened. But there's nothing malicious at all and we'll work through here within the department and see what comes out of it.”
Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Clinton County deputy under investigation after losing guns
