Hamilton County sheriff's stolen handgun used in robbery, recovered after 2 years

A handgun stolen more than two years ago from Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey's police cruiser was used in a robbery, officials said.

The service weapon, a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun, was recovered over the weekend during a traffic stop by Cincinnati police, the sheriff's office said Tuesday in a news release.

Officials said the weapon is undergoing investigative testing, and that there are three locations where spent shell casings from the gun were recovered. However, authorities do not know who fired the rounds nor the circumstances surrounding those incidents.

There was a fourth incident where the weapon was used during a robbery to shoot a man in the leg after he was punched in the head. The victim refused to cooperate with investigators and declined to press charges.

More: Details emerge more than a year later about Hamilton County sheriff's stolen car, gun

"Sheriff McGuffey's empathy goes out to the individual who was the target of this criminal activity," the release states.

McGuffey awoke on a Saturday morning in June 2021 to notice her police car, a black unmarked 2021 Dodge Charger, was missing from her Columbia Tusculum home.

The car was recovered a few hours later with no visible damage at the end of a street in Winton Hills, about 10 miles away. The gun was missing.

McGuffey, who is up for reelection in 2024, previously told The Enquirer that, unknown to her, a spare key fob that can open and start the car slid under her dashboard. That allowed the thieves to drive off with her car and access the glove box with her gun.

The sheriff's office has yet to announce any criminal charges in connection with the gun's theft or its use.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton County Sheriff McGuffey's stolen gun was used in robbery