Toledo officer’s gun found 5 years after it was stolen

7/16/2013

Braun

THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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Five years after a revolver was stolen from a Toledo police officer’s apartment, the gun was found during a suspect stop.

The .38-caliber gun was reportedly dropped by Jomar Quinn just before he was stopped by officers at 33 S. Byrne Rd. at about 1:30 a.m. Monday.

The gun’s rightful owner, Sgt. Kevin Braun, didn’t expect to ever see the gun again.

“You get stuff stolen and you think it’s gone forever,” said the sergeant, who works in the department’s public information office.

Police patrolling in South Toledo were flagged down by a security guard outside of Rocket Bar, 135 S. Byrne Rd., at 1:28 a.m.

The guard told police that a man was turned away at the door to the bar when the guard found a gun in the man’s waistband.

Police in the area spotted Mr. Quinn, who matched the broadcasted suspect description, near an electrical pole on South Byrne.

The suspect crossed the street and was stopped and officers found the gun near the pole, according to a police report.

Mr. Quinn, 26, of 3123 N. Erie St., was charged with receiving stolen property and carrying a concealed weapon.

He was arraigned Monday in Toledo Municipal Court and ordered to be held in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $15,000 bond.

The gun was traced back to the police sergeant by running the serial number through a records search.

Sergeant Braun said he was living in a Perrysburg apartment where a number of break-ins were occurring when his brand-new gun was stolen in 2008.

He said the gun was locked up inside his apartment, which was also locked.

“I don’t think the issue is how people are storing their guns, it’s the people who are breaking into houses,” the sergeant said. “You have a right to keep your things inside your house. The act of leaving them in your house is an attempt to secure them.”

It wasn’t known Monday who stole the gun or if it had been used in any crimes during the five years it has been missing.

Although Sergeant Braun, who won an ABC reality show contest, The Glass House, in 2012, expects to get the gun back, it could take longer if the gun is held as evidence.

Contact Taylor Dungjen at tdungjen@theblade.com, or 419-724-6054, or on Twitter @taylordungjen.