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A Florida deputy's firearm ended up on the streets after he left it in a gas station restroom, and it was picked up and sold for $40 on CashApp.
The officer entered the public restroom at a RaceTrac convenience store in Oviedo, Florida, at around 5.30pm on August 29 and took off his bulletproof vest and gun belt, according to an affidavit seen by the The Tampa Bay Times.
“After leaving the RaceTrac and responding to a call for service, [the deputy] discovered his gun was missing form his gun belt, so he returned to the RaceTrac to check the restroom,” officials said. “He did not see it in the restroom.”
Two men – Chance Byron, 26, and Damari Dennis, 23 – are accused of taking the $600 Sig Sauer P320 pistol, according to WESH.
The duo allegedly put the gun up for sale on CashApp, where it sold for $40.
Surveillance video captured two men visiting the restroom after the deputy, with one spotted hiding something in the waistband of his pants when walking out of the store, officials said.
Deputies found the suspects after conducting a license tag search, with Dennis and Byron claiming they found the weapon “sticking out of a toilet paper roll.”
“Both stated they did not attempt to contact law enforcement or inform the employees of the RaceTrac gas station that they located a firearm in the restroom,” officials said.
Both were arrested on August 30 by the Seminole County Sherrif’s Office.
The firearm has since been safely recovered, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office told McClatchy News.
Dennis faces 13 counts, including grand theft of a firearm, dealing in stolen property, and possession of a weapon or ammo by a convicted Florida felon, as he was on probation at the time, according to the Times.
Byron meanwhile, faces charges of grand theft of a firearm, failure to report lost or abandoned property, and dealing in stolen property.’
The Independent has contacted the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) for further details.
