A law enforcement officer visiting a church in Lebanon got sick in the bathroom, put his gun on a shelf and didn't retrieve it.

The Rev. Frank Moloney of First Christian Church tells the Albany Democrat-Herald ( http://bit.ly/XDvmI4) church members found the handgun the next morning, Sunday.

For a time, Moloney says, they believed it belonged to a homeless man who slept in the parking lot and had used the bathroom Sunday morning.

But during the Sunday service, church leaders spoke about finding a "very expensive item," and the deputy claimed the handgun.

The deputy wasn't identified. He was visiting from Washington state for an outing of several congregations.

Moloney says the church has been trying to reassure the community that the soup kitchen run at the site isn't dangerous.

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Information from: Albany Democrat-Herald, http://www.dhonline.com