Wash. state deputy leaves loaded gun in Ore. church bathroom
»Play Video
LEBANON, Ore. - A church group chaperone got sick to his stomach and set his loaded gun on a window sill in the church bathroom, where it remained until a 17-year-old girl found it the next morning.
No one was hurt, and the holstered weapon had its safety on, Rev. Frank Moloney of First Christian Church told KVAL News.
The church made an announcement about finding an "expensive item" in the bathroom, and the man - visiting with a church group from Washington state, where he works as a sheriff's deputy - claimed his gun.
Moloney said a churchgoer filed a complaint with the sheriff's office in Washington state over the incident, which he said has shed a negative light on the church's reputation.
"It's an issue of a gun, and with everybody so freaked out about guns, it really did just get blown out of proportion," Moloney told KVAL News.
Church officials declined to name the deputy or the county in Washington where he works.
Lebanon's First Christian Church doubles as a soup kitchen. Initially investigators thought a homeless man left the gun behind; a mistake that Moloney said doesn't reflect on how the church treats their less fortunate guests.
"The gentleman took the (homeless) man down to the station to ask him questions. He was the last person seen exiting the bathroom," said Moloney. "And so an assumption, an incorrect assumption was made, and that's where i jumped in and said look just because this guy is homeless doesn't mean he has a gun."
Annie Daniels, a volunteer in the soup kitchen, told KVAL that none of the church-goers were in danger, and they still welcome everyone to a hot meal if they need one.
"Most of our guests ... are very nice people. They're very polite, they come through the line. They thank us for the food. Many of them appreciate what we do," said Daniels.
It will be interesting to see how this incident affects the one in Tillamook Co. where the gun fell out of the the guy's pocket in the theatre. He is being still being prosecuted criminally, and lost his CCP over it. Another interesting point to ponder. How is it that this cop only stepped forward after the pastor announced in church that something valuable had been found, instead of mentioning it himself prior to church starting? This story needs a SERIOUS smell test, If I was the guy in Tillamook, I'd be looking into a discrimination lawsuit, wedding cake or not!
I'm shocked that the gun didn't discharge on its own and level 4 or 5 city blocks.
Obama probably will ban cops with guns
@Leinenkugle's "Obama probably will ban cops with guns"
Yep- it'll be just like "SanAngeles" they'll all carry Glow-Rods, ala Demolition Man.Â
@Leinenkugle's If that's the way they act he should. He must have been what you would call one of those responsible, well trained gun owners.
how could this cop not know he wasn't carrying his weapon when he left the restroom?Prosecute a 60 year old man on the coast for his weapon falling out in a movie theater, but nothing happens to a cop, I guess civilians are held to a higher standard.
@rec503 Civilians aren't unionized. Cops are. That's the difference.
@Unknown @rec503 Yeah, this cop's idiocy is the direct result of him belonging to a union.  I'd love an explanation of what your dislike of labor unions is based on.  Just curious.
@Sundowner @Unknown @rec503 Actually I don't know if deputies are unionized. Anybody?
Sundowner: The issue is that unions protect cops from the sorts of things that would put us in prison. For example--not naming names--the one who lost the wrongful death lawsuit against somebody he shot who wasn't carrying a weapon. The Chief and the Mayor tried to fire him but the union got him back on the job with back pay and a heavy penalty against the city.
Now... YOU shoot an unarmed man and see what happens. There's no union going to protect you.
So, an Oregon man got his permit revoked for the exact same thing in a movie theater. What will the cop's punishment be?
@HuskyKMA Unfortunately, the Oregon man wasn't in a CCW union that paid dues to Obama and the Democrats.
@Unknown @HuskyKMA Oh, oops to my previous comment.  This cop's idiocy isn't the result of him belonging to a union after all....it's because of Obama and the Democrats.  Why no blame on El Niño, Occupy, the tsunami in Japan or the demise of Hostess Twinkies?Â
@Sundowner @Unknown @HuskyKMA Because El Nino and the tsunami have nothing to do with it, but unions likely do. Another thing to consider:
When Occupy shut down the Steel Bridge, with all their pro-union signs, and all those riot cops there on the bridge making over time, did it ever occur to you that 100%% of the people on the bridge were either union employees or demonstrating for unionization?
The rest of us sucks just had to go find another way to work for a living. I'm a small business owner, single employee. I'm sorry, but, collective bargaining means nothing to me. I can't unionize, but, I can recognize how much they cost the taxpayers standing around and doing nothing for six weeks of Occupy, and then standing around doing nothing on the bridge at taxpayer expense.
I took photos of the SEUI guys bringing in the portable toilets for Occupy Portland, and of course it's union labor that's rebuilding everything they allegedly destroyed, like the cast iron benches at $18,000 each.
I've had union goons show up at my house thinking I was somebody else. Not to intimidate me, but to try to manipulate me into unionizing Head Start, which is a public non-profit organization. They thought I was an employee.
There's an industrial union in the Willamette valley that has a device called "Urinator" to help its employees pass drug tests. They keep it in a box called the "football." Who has the football? Jim has it. He was playing last week. We're playing next week. Tell Jim to bring the football.
You should see what unions are doing to the community colleges.
@HuskyKMAÂ Probably nothing. Double standards for sure.
I hope they issue this guy a Red Rider BB Gun.
If a cop can't secure his weapon, what hopes do we have of any protection? Â
What if a scientist left a nuke launch control device? Â What if a doctors left a vial of incurable smallpox variant? Â What if there was a shoe that was made into a bomb? Â Water like substance that can do harm? Â
Get over it people. Â We need the airline securities monkey as bad as we need more fear.
@Benjamin Schniffle If the gun was registered, this would never have happened. Oh wait, all police firearms are registered. Guess registration is useless.
"Moloney said a churchgoer filed a complaint with the sheriff's office in Washington state over the incident, which he said has shed a negative light on the church's reputation."
Obviously this parishoner is practicing what ever he/she has learned from attending church. Just another hypocrite in the land of magic and fairy tales ....
"filed a complaint... over the incident, which he said has shed a negative light on the church's reputation"
Well yeah, the church made the cop sick to his stomach, I can see where that would be damaging to the church's reputation.
@JTesla Successful exorcism - the devil made him do it and then complained
Barney Fife is alive and well.
@I812Â - can you imagine an assault weapon clip in his pockect? Nowadays it would be called bling
@Bert As I recall Sheriff Andy finally relented and let Barney have a gun but he couldn't have any bullets.
@I812 @Bert he had to keep the bullet in his pocket, but sometimes he did not follow the rules
@I812Â - I hated that guy when young but the older I get the funnier he is
When I was a kid I was at the police station where my dad worked. I needed to use the bathroom, so my dad took me to the mens room and as I was going into a stall I noticed a hole in the stall door. I asked my dad what happened and he said a cop was sitting down to have a BM and his gun went off. Good thing he was on the pot because I'm sure his bowels evacuated due his weapon discharge. That made the department reevaluate potty procedures. Only the cops pride was injured.
This article is a call to pause and evaluate your potty procedures while carrying concealed. It would be embarrassing, to say the least, to have an unplanned discharge of your weapon. To cause injury or death would be unforgivable.Â
Develop a plan to secure your weapon will doing your business.
@The Resistance
That's a "glory-hole" ..resistance. See Senator Larry Craig, hahhahahhahahhahahaha,
Something was evacuated, but I don't think it was bowels.
Whoops.
who cares..not a big deal..nothing illegal and who ever had a fit about it..needs to get a life and shut up and worry bout real problems. there isnt even anything here for a story other than to stir chit up.
@LordBear Unless the gun were stolen and used to murder you family, that's the only thing that make you finally open your eyes.. How sad !
@dougrpdx it would be cool if that happened to me as long as i got to choose the victims....every family has them, they say.
- No one was hurt, and the holstered weapon had its safety on.
- none of the church-goers were in danger.
Errors occur and they always will.Â
Yet another NON-STORY.
90 days ago it wouldn't have made news anywhere.
Remember the guy in Clatsop County that left his gun in a movie theatre and is being prosecute, lost his permit. Yes different state but come on cop looses his job and is prosecuted.....Kids use the restrooms also.
@FreerideNOT Yes, kids do use restrooms. If they are properly taught, they would know to NOT touch the gun and go tell an adult. As to criminals, they will get a gun however and wherever they want, if they want one bad enough.
Interesting...not a good way to handle your weapon though..
I remember watching the news during Desert Storm, the cameraman was showing a couple of soldiers in a Humvee at the airport it looked like. One leaned his rifle against the barrier the camera was behind, they jumped in the humvee and took off real quick. They were gone for a couple of minutes while the camera was till rolling...the humvee came back, one soldier jumped out and grabbed his rifle, then they drove off. It was hilarious!
But things can happen.
something isn't adding up. i think a higher power was involved here. so many variables: the officer getting sick, no one stealing the gun, strange meteorites coming down all over the place. but all we need to understand is faith will protect us. the world works in mysterious ways
Three hail marys' and two gun blast should take care of it !
@sargerator That's the Catholics. Brilliant.
Concealed carry requires you to carry and not set down your gun someplace.
@Lost River Usually the guns are left in the bathroom stalls, because a lot of times it is necessary to remove them from the holster when in there.
Only police should be trusted with guns. Oh wait, he was a cop....never mind.
Didn't almost the same thing happen last year or so when an OSP left their gun in a restroon and it came up missing? I don't think they ever found it. I don't think the officer got fired, but got spanked pretty good over it.
"but got spanked pretty good over it"Â and it felt so good shes gonna loose another gun soon !
@theobserver Yep.. yep...
That was the first thing I thought of too. I thought it was really STUPID and irresponsible then & I feel the same about this one,Â
The penalty should be the same for Deputy Friendly and John Q. Public. Either you lose the right to carry or it's written off as an honest mistake where, thankfully, no one was hurt.
Are you freaking kidding me!?!?!!!
This is just plain... Well, it's so bad I can barely put it to words..
Shall we take this officers permit to carry? *eye roll* Â That's what would happen if he were a citizen and not LE. I know cops are just people but dang! That weapon should be his number one concern- Walk out with your fly down dude but DO NOT leave your gun behind! Â *FACE PALM*
@cwpholder Maybe he was confused, maybe he thought he was to leave the gun and take the cannoli
@Pvpbw @cwpholderÂ
+1
The gun left in the bathroom was gods invitational to anybody wanting to meet face to face with him
I thought the "ban everything" crowd said only cops should have guns - now what?
@Gozirra IzrooseÂ
So, over 80% of NRA members want stricter gun control. Â The fact that you don't makes you the lunatic fringe. Â Do you like it out there?
@Diogenes @Gozirra Izroose Bull pucky.  I think your stat is as crappy as the stuff that came out of the cop.
@Diogenes @Gozirra Izroose Seriously? Am not a NRA member, so I don't know. I just love me some guns.
@TreeWizard @Diogenes @Gozirra IzrooseÂ
I'm pretty fond of my guns, as well. Â I just want to make sure we prevent as many crazies from getting guns as possible. Â We've got so many examples of nutjobs whose friends and families KNEW they were nutjobs, and yet they were allowed to buy guns and go shoot people. Â Hell, we had a guy right up in Seattle who had lots of guns and a friggin' concealed carry permit, and everybody who knew him said he was nuts; he went off one day and killed 5 people before offing himself in the middle of the street. Â THAT guy should have been screened out, in my opinion.
No , it was the gunnutz that said have cops at all schools ! Oh great a free gun in every bathroom !
@sargerator Maybe you can be are restroom monitor. You can make sure they don't leave the restroom without their firearm.