Boy finds deputy's badge, handgun left at Lake Tahoe rental home
01/13/2020 6:55 pm PST
via KTXL:
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KTXL) -- A Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy is on paid leave after apparently leaving his badge and a loaded gun that were found by a child at a South Lake Tahoe rental home.
The 9-year-old boy found the gun in a bedroom drawer 10 minutes after arriving at an Airbnb rental near the Heavenly ski resort over the weekend, the boy's father told KTVU-TV.
At first, the family thought the items were fake. They didn't touch the Ruger .380 handgun, but contacted local police.
The gun is the personal weapon of a deputy who apparently left the items behind while staying at the property, according to the Santa Clara Sheriff's Office. The deputy is on paid administrative leave while the department investigates. Airbnb said it also is investigating.
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