LEBANON, OR — A handgun found at First Christian Church in Lebanon on Sunday morning didn’t belong to a homeless man as initially believed, but was the property of an off-duty deputy from Washington, said Pastor Frank Moloney.
The pastor stressed that the Lebanon Soup Kitchen, run at the site, isn’t dangerous for visitors and volunteers.
The deputy was visiting the church for a multicongregation snow trip to Hoodoo Ski Area. He was violently ill on Saturday night and had a lapse in judgement, Moloney said. While he was getting sick in the bathroom, he placed his gun on a shelf.
A homeless man who was sleeping in the church parking lot came inside to use the bathroom on Sunday morning. After he left, congregation members found the handgun….
During the Sunday service, two church leaders spoke about a “very expensive item” being found in the building, and asked the owner to speak with them.
The deputy, who belongs to a church in the Hood River area, came forward and said it was his handgun.
He also spoke to Lebanon police, and Moloney said the deputy could be facing an official reprimand.
February 25, 2013 6:50 AM
