A First for Me!

[Dennis1209]

I found a pretty new gun in the creek today!

Back story...

When the weather is half way decent, I like to take a little walk to loosen up my old bones. I normally take a left out of my driveway and walk the country road 0.8 miles one way and to the creek, today was the same.

For some reason, people like to discard their deer carcasses in the creek and on the road side by my place this time of year, and I don't care much for that.

As I'm walking slowly and quietly on the tar / gravel country road enjoying the day and my old age and still capable of getting out, I hear some leaves rustling, so I stop and freeze. Normally it's a deer or squirrel when I hear it. This time it was five turkey hens slowly walking in-line about 15 yards off the road, followed by a Tom about five yards behind. Cool, I enjoyed that, and continued my little old man march to the creek and back as I usually do.

Yesterday I did the same walk at about the same time with no excitement except two cars passed me on the road, and one nice young guy offered me a ride! It sucks to look old and helpless when out for a walk and have nice young people stop and ask if they can give me a ride. It sucks not because there's still decent people out there trying to help, it sucks because you thought the day would never arrive you would become an old man. Anyway...

After moving on from watching the turkey's, I had another 75 yards or so to go before I got to the creek. I usually walk slower approaching the creek because on occasion there are some ducks in the creek, and I don't want to scare them because I enjoy watching them. I also like to look into the water and see if there's any fish in there, but this time of year they have made their way to Kentucky Lake, which this creek flows to. The creek at this point is maybe six feet across and 2 feet at the outer bank, the deepest part.

As I said before, I was here at the creek bridge about this time yesterday and visually looked everything over. About three months ago someone was cooking meth there as I just found out today?

So, I approached the creek bridge on the left hand side walking facing any possible traffic. Clear skies at around noon and the sun shining directly into the creek and YOU COULDN'T MISS IT!

There at the very edge of the water and only half covered with water was a very shiny object you could not miss because of the sunshine. Surely this has to be a toy? It wasn't there yesterday I know for sure.

Looking at it from a top the bridge I see it is a gun, a shiny nickel plated gun. I don't think it is a toy because there's to much detail and the grips look great, at least that's what my old eyes see.

I study this gun, a nickel plated / chrome / SS semi-auto pistol for probably 10 minutes from a top the bridge. There's no easy way to get down to it and retrieve it without going through thorns, cockle berries, mud and all kinds of nasties. I'm thinking to myself what to do, do I go down and retrieve it, sure would like to have this find? But me being me, I'm going to do what I think is the right thing.

I call the Henry County Sheriff's department and tell them what I see. The Sheriff, Montey Belew asks me to stay there as he will send a deputy (25 minutes away of course). So I did of course.

Prior to and during me reporting this gun, I'm thinking.... What if it's just a toy gun? I would feel so stupid wasting their time. I'm also thinking it's on the very edge of the creek and only half covered in water, maybe there's finger prints that can be lifted? Too much CSI TV in my mind? But being a firearms owner, I'm 75% sure this is a real firearm 10 yards below me. I'm also not the brightest bulb on the tree but, if you see a pistol / revolver in a creek at a bridge, it was thrown there for a criminal reason.

Henry County Sheriff's Deputy finally arrives at the creek bridge I waiting at. It's a bit chilly and I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt covering my Glock 26 and thinking if I should tell the deputy I'm a HCP holder or not, "for our safety"?

Well, he gets out of his squad car and I approach him, shake his hand and tell him I appreciate him coming out and tell him my full name, and I live just over there. I elected not to tell him I was caring a weapon. After all, he was in no danger from me nor was I from him. Why complicate things?

So... I point out where the pistol is in the creek and he immediately sees it. The officer has a nice pressed uniform on with nice shined shoes, very professional, both in appearance and attitude. I offer to go down there and retrieve the weapon for him, as I'm dressed in jeans and nothing I wouldn't mind getting all messed up. The officer declines and says he will retrieve it.

At this point I'm thinking, Dennis1209 if this is a play gun, you're going to be embarrassed! But, you just never know? Should I have even called the police for a maybe something?

I previously looked over the area and suggested the best path to go down to retrieve the suspected gun. The officer followed my suggestion and went down and retrieved it. It was the best path IMO but, you should have seen him emerge, he was covered from the waste down in all those sticky things that can cling to you! It made me appreciate what our law enforcement officers do for us on a daily basis.

After stumbling and about falling in a few holes, he finally made his way back to the road / bridge. I forgot to mention that when he got down there and picked up the weapon he pulled the magazine and cleared the weapon before he did anything else, very professional.

Sitting on top of the guard rail looking at that beauty all that time, I tried to figure out what make / model / caliber it might be. It sure was pretty and shiny and didn't look worse for wear.

When the Sheriff's Deputy emerged from the brush and briar's covered in briers, stick-ems, mud and dirt from the creek and walking to-wards me, I almost chuckled at how he looked like all covered like a deer hunter, then my mind shifted gears and I thought....

You know, this man is a representative of law enforcement around here. He just did a very unpleasant and soiling job for something not all that critical. He was professional and polite the entire time. I really admire and respect him and the job he does. I'm thinking, I really admire that, and if he's willing to do this for an investigative sort of thing, how far would he go to protect you and I when we ever needed it?

It turns out the gun in the creek was a like new RAVEN .25 caliber semi-automatic, a Saturday night special according to the deputy.

At this age some things have failed, but not my brain yet... I told the officer if the gun was not involved in a crime or if the rightful owner did not claim it, I get dibs!

Just an interesting day I wanted to share with y'all...

[Guest Kamikaze]

Cool story!

[RED333]

Thanks for shairing, good story, LEOs do work hard, we have one that lives at the end of the road, great guy, a farmer
off duty, if there is such a time.

[TnShooter83]

Thanks for the story. I'm sure it will be one to remember for ever.
Having dealt with that same pistol in the past. ( I was young, didn't know any better, and it was cheap enough)
I wouldn't doubt if the former owner might have thrown it in the creek. (Not wise as I'd disassemble it and scrap it first)
They really are that bad and that cheap.
The only thing I can recommend you do with it if you get it is keep it as a conversation piece.

[Pain103]

It never fails if I just dry cleaned and pressed my uniforms and put a nice shine on my boots I end up tromping through woods or mud. Even worse is when someone fights and I get rips in my uniform or a broken nameplate. I can't stand my uniform to be nasty so I change fairly quick if possible. I've always told the new guys sometimes it's those small encounters that make big impressions on people.

[UncleJak]

Cool story, I usually just find snakes in the creek. I hope you get to keep the gun.

[mk19]

A very cool story, and a cool deputy as well.