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Deputy's gun reportedly discharges at IHOP |
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Tuesday, 03 April 2007 |
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For the time being, officials with the Saline County Sheriff's Department are not discussing an incident Monday which a deputy's firearm apparently discharged accidentally at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) restaurant in Benton.
The incident reportedly occurred sometime during the noon hour.
A local businessman who arrived at the restaurant after the incident said he was told about the gunshot by a restaurant employee.
According to that account, a deputy who had been at the restaurant for lunch accidentally discharged his weapon while he was in the men's restroom.
The shot reportedly went through the restroom ceiling, where there is a bullet hole.
Several people inside the restaurant apparently heard the shot.
According to the businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, the restaurant employee asked the deputy what the noise was and the deputy allegedly replied, "The toilet seat fell, making the noise."
"And with that, (the deputy) proceeded to walk out of the restaurant," the businessman said. "He lied to the waitress on his way out the door, according to her."
A member of management with IHOP reportedly followed the deputy into the parking lot. The IHOP representative "confronted (the deputy) on the parking lot and then he 'fessed up to it," the employee said.
Employees of a local plumbing and construction company were called to inspect the area to see if the shot had penetrated the roof, the businessman told the Courier.
The deputy involved in the incident is described as a "heavy-set guy" and is believed to be an employee in the warrants division, but this has not been confirmed.
According to an employee in the county human resources office, deputies are required to fill out a report any time they discharge their weapons, whether accidentally or on purpose, unless it is done on the firing range.
The incident was discussed briefly Monday night in a meeting of the Saline County Quorum Court Finance Committee.
In that setting, Justice of the Peace Doug Curtis, who chairs the committee, asked sheriff's Capt. Jason Massey how much damage the county would be responsible for because of the incident. Massey said the incident was being investigated and that he would not comment on it.
After the meeting, Massey said no one was hurt in the incident. He declined to say whether the employee is still on active duty or how long he expects the investigation to take.
A Courier reporter, attempting to interview employees at the restaurant Monday afternoon, was asked to leave by management.
Today, Massey again declined to identify the deputy involved or to discuss additional details about the incident, which he said is being investigated internally.
He also said he would not be releasing the deputy's name Sheriff Phil Mask return this weekend.
Massey was asked whether a report is required any time a deputy's weapon is discharged. His response was that "whatever report would be made is an internal report that goes toward the investigation."
"All of this goes through a process," he added. "That's what this is going to go through."
Massey said that "everything that is under our policy procedure is abided by when we open an investigation. Once it gets through that, we'll let it go."
Staff member Robert Shearon contributed to this story.
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