Sheriff’s Office Runs A Different Kind of “Lost and Found”

Submitted by Anne H. Oman
Reporter at Large

Picture the typical Lost and Found: an oversized closet stuffed with hats, umbrellas and other flotsam and jetsam of everyday life.

Now picture the Property and Evidence Facility, which occupies the former county jail adjacent to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office in Yulee. That’s the place to check if you’ve mislaid a Beretta Pistol 380 Caliber. Or A Charter Arms Corp. Undercover 32 Special Revolver. Or a North American Arms Corp. 22 Long Rifle. You may even have a shot at getting it back – as long as you didn’t use it in the commission of a crime.

The above are just three of the 89 firearms the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office recently advertised, along with their serial numbers, as “Found Property”. But they haven’t exactly been found, as you might find a jacket somebody left behind in a taxi.

“Some are from old cases,” UnderSheriff George Lueders told the Fernandina Observer. ”Some have been included as evidence or confiscated as a result of judges’ orders.”

Since Sheriff Bill Leeper was elected, UnderSheriff Lueders explained, the office has been systematically clearing out the accumulated detritus.

“We inherited a large problem,” he said. “There was a conglomeration of stuff that was there for years and years. We want to keep evidence moving.”

But they can’t just have a garage sale. There’s a legal process to be followed.

“Everything we do is directed by statute,” said the UnderSheriff. “When the State Attorney’s Office tells us there’s no longer a need to keep a gun as evidence, we try to contact the owner by certified letter. If that’s not possible, we advertise them.”

First the items must be advertised as “found property.” Under Florida Statute 705.103, the items are forfeited to the county unless a valid claim, backed up by a bill of sale or other proof of ownership, is made within 90 days of the advertisement.

Do many people come forward to reclaim guns?

“Some do,” said UnderSheriff Lueders. “For example, if someone’s house was burglarized and a gun was taken, they could come and present proof of ownership.”

But many of these weapons go unclaimed and are forfeited. After securing a court order from the State Attorney, the county is free to sell the items at auction, at the website govdeals.com.

“We’ve just started doing this,” said the UnderSheriff. “So far, we’ve sold 15 guns and made $1.375.95.”

What happens to the money depends on how the gun was acquired. Profits from guns that were found on the street or turned in go to a state school fund. Profits from sales of guns that were seized by law enforcement officers go to the state law enforcement fund.

But, UnderSheriff Lueders stressed, the county sells only “shoulder weapons” at auction – guns typically used in hunting – and only to gun dealers with a federal firearms license.

“Nassau’s a rural county,” he said. “There are lots of hunters here. But we never sell handguns or assault weapons. Those we melt down.”

Similarly, the Sheriff’s Office burns confiscated illegal drugs as soon as they are released by the court.

So if you’ve mislaid any of those, don’t even bother making a claim.

More information about how to reclaim a firearm can be found on the Sheriff’s website: www.nassauso.com.

Editor’s Note: Anne H. Oman relocated to Fernandina Beach from Washington, D.C. Her articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The Washington Star, The Washington Times, Family Circle and other publications.