Deschutes River diver discovers handgun

(Update: Gun’s serial number was scratched off, business lockbox keys also found)

A man diving in the Deschutes River near Cline Falls on Tuesday found a handgun on the river bottom.

Jared Leisek is a diver who lives in Central Oregon. He cleans rivers and creates YouTube videos highlighting the treasures he’s found.

Leisek said he was pretty excited when he found the gun, but also wanted to make sure he handled the situation properly.

Leisek quickly called police to turn the gun over.

He found it while diving in the Deschutes just off of the Highway 126 bridge between Redmond and Sisters, near Eagle Crest Resort.

Leisek said he loves to clean up the rivers, but also loves to show off the rare and interesting items he finds.

He said he was discouraged by the lack of what he calls “treasure items” on this section of the river, and then he was able to find the gun.

He said the police quickly showed up to take the gun away. Leisek noted the serial number had been scratched off and some 20 business lockbox keys were found in the same spot.

“When the local sheriff’s department got here, they were very excited that we found it,” Leisek said. “And we had not actually touched it. I had my gloves on the entire time, so my fingerprints are not on there.

“And I don’t even know if fingerprints can stay on there, you know, as long as it’s been underwater. It’s rusted, I don’t know if it’s been under there for three months or three years — it’s hard to say.”

Sgt. William Bailey with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said it’s not unheard of but it’s pretty rare to find guns dumped in the river like this.

He added that the sheriff’s office is doing everything it can to try to determine just how the gun got there and where it came from.

Bailey said that after a preliminary search, they have had no luck in finding out any information about the gun, but they will continue to investigate its origin.

Bailey also said that Leisek did the right thing in turning the gun over to the police, for the safety of everyone involved.