South Carolina Cop Leaves Handgun In Bathroom… Again

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Yet another female officer in the Upstate region of South Carolina appears to have forgotten her handgun in the bathroom of a gas station, according to law enforcement officials.

While details surrounding the incident remain unclear, an unnamed deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) forgot her duty weapon during a service call on Tuesday (January 7, 2024), according to department spokesperson Shale Remien.

“She was moving quickly due to an urgent call being put out nearby,” Remien told FITSNews over email. “The weapon was unattended for a short period of time. The deputy immediately called the store and employees were able to secure the weapon quickly.”

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Despite the aforementioned, sources in the Rolodex of freelance photojournalist Tony Green claimed the handgun was discovered by a Stop-A-Minute gas station customer who notified an employee. The finding was thereupon reported to 911.

Green broke the news of the forgotten gun on Tuesday.

“If you’re using the restroom, leave the weapon in your car,” the photojournalist suggested over the phone. “If that were me, a normal tax-paying citizen, I would have gone to jail. But since this was a deputy, it simply wasn’t the case… and it’s happened twice now.”

In April 2024, Deputy Jewel Holliday of the neighboring Pickens County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) forgot her Glock 17 handgun in the bathroom of a QuikTrip. A juvenile later found her service weapon, prompting a parent to pocket the sidearm and abscond from the gas station.

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RELATED | PICKENS DEPUTY ‘FORGETS’ HANDGUN IN GAS STATION BATHROOM

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That morning, Holliday’s firearm was entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as stolen. Her coworkers were thereupon deployed alongside agents of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) in an effort to locate her duty weapon.

Miraculously, Holliday’s handgun was found off U.S. Route 123 several days later. The prolonged display of force caught Green’s attention then, prompting the photojournalist to report exclusively on his first of two discarded handgun phenomena.

While Holliday served a three-day suspension one month later, ACSO told FITSNews the incident involving their deputy is under investigation to determine if “any possible policy violations” occurred.

We have since deployed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for any and all incident reports germane to the deputy’s forgetfulness. 

This story may be updated.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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