NEAR KALAMAZOO (NEWS 3) - A Michigan State Police Trooper's loaded handgun is now back in safe hands after being discovered in a stall at the Burger King on 9th Street in Texas Township near Kalamazoo.
The incident happened around 2 p.m. on March 12th, according to the assistant store manager Bart Nye.
"What immediately went through my mind was, 'Oh, dear. This could be bad,'" said Nye. "It was sitting on top of the toilette paper dispenser in our men's room. It was in its holster just sitting there as if someone had set it down then forgot to pick it back up again."
He called 911 immediately, then shut himself in the restroom to keep the gun untouched until authorities arrived to retrieve it.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department forwarded the weapon to the Michigan State Police post in Paw Paw.
A supervisor at the post told News 3 that the gun belonged to an off-duty trooper from northern Michigan.
The Burger King's store manager, David Siegfried, told News 3 that the day after the gun was found, the trooper who had accidentally left the gun behind showed up at the restaurant. "He was just very appreciative and didn't say much. [He] just wanted to say thank you," said Siegfried.
"The police officer said he was about 190 miles away before he realized he was actually missing his gun," he added. "I'm just glad no one got hurt."
Bart Nye was just about to start his shift when he stopped in the restroom that day.
"I was actually kind of happy that I was the first one to find it because I didn't want a customer to find it, or a kid to find it, or someone find it and hurt themselves with it or do even worse with it," said Nye, adding,
The Michigan State Police 3rd District Administrative Office in Saginaw is handling the incident.
The inspector was not available for comment before deadline.
