A military wife who thought she was buying a Baby Einstein’s bouncer at a local thrift store was surprised to find something else in the box.
Veronica Alvarez-Rodriguez said she and her husband were heading to a baby shower Sunday when she stopped at the Goodwill store in Valparaiso.
“It was like the perfect gift for the baby shower,” Alvarez-Rodriguez said.
A military wife who thought she was buying a Baby Einstein’s bouncer at a local thrift store was shocked to find a loaded gun in the box.https://t.co/sYn28a2eVe
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) December 6, 2019
She said the item, which cost $9.99, was unopened and appeared to be new. After purchasing the gift, the couple went to the shower in Crestview.
Alvarez-Rodriguez said when the father-to-be opened the box, he was very excited.
He shouted, “You guys got me a gun!” Alvarez-Rodriguez said.
Alvarez-Rodriguez said some of the guests were laughing, but she and her husband were shocked.
The gun, a Mossberg 715T semi-automatic rifle, had live ammo in it, Alvarez-Rodriguez said.
After realizing what had happened, the Crestview Police Department was called.
An officer came to the shower and checked the couple’s IDs to make to ensure they were not convicted felons, according to Maj. Andrew Schneider, public information officer for the Crestview PD.
The responding officer initially allowed the father-to-be to keep the gun while the incident was under investigation. But the next day, police asked him to turn the gun over to the Crestview Police Department.
The incident remains under investigation, Schneider said.
On Monday, a Goodwill employee said she couldn’t comment on the matter.
“Goodwill has the best treasures for $9.99,” Veronica Alvarez-Rodriguez said.
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© 2019 the Northwest Florida Daily News
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