SC man charged with stolen NC trooper’s gun

CAMDEN, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina sheriff’s deputies say they recovered a service weapon stolen from a retired North Carolina state trooper after an Interstate 20 traffic stop.

Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews says deputies pulled over 21-year-old James Carter of Columbia this week on a traffic violation.

The deputy looked inside the car and found a Smith & Wesson .357-caliber revolver inscribed with the seal of the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Carter told deputies he bought the gun in North Carolina.

Law officers traced the serial number and determined the gun was stolen from a retired North Carolina trooper who got the weapon as a retirement gift.

Matthews says it will be returned to the retired North Carolina officer.