WAUCONDA, Ill. (WLS) — Some teens in north suburban Wauconda are being praised by police after they found themselves in an unexpected situation.
A group of teenagers received a sweet reward as a gesture of thanks when they were honored at the local police department for handing in a gun they discovered on the street.
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The four suburban boys were riding their bikes near the Route 12 underpass on Route 176 when they spotted an abandoned gun on a sidewalk.
“It ended positively, since it could have escalated into a dangerous scenario if they had taken it home. If it was loaded or ended up in the wrong hands, like those of a young child, things could have gone terribly wrong,” explained Wauconda police Sgt. Heather Cognac.
To show their appreciation, Chief David Wermes treated the boys to some ice cream from Dairy Queen.
It’s ice cream, you know, but we felt like it was a little bit to say a big thank you for what they did.
Sgt. Heather Cognac, Wauconda Police Department
“The courage and common sense demonstrated by these young individuals are truly admirable. They transformed a potentially hazardous situation into an example of community responsibility,” stated Chief Wermes.
The teen friends said they couldn’t believe they’d found a gun and weren’t sure if it was even real.
“I noticed something on the ground. I went back and said, ‘Jace come over here,’ and then it was just like a gun on the ground,” Jackson Ziagos said.
Two of the boys stayed at the scene while two others rode their bikes to the police department.
“So yeah, well my dad’s an officer, so I know what to do, like not touch it… and my parents were like, ‘That’s amazing that you did the right thing,'” Joseph Stevens said.
Police safely recovered the unloaded weapon, which turned out to be a Colt .25 caliber automatic handgun.
The teens were recognized for doing the right thing and got a sweet treat as an acknowledgement of their quick thinking and their maturity.
“In this situation, we really wanted to… and it’s not a big reward,” Sgt. Cognac said. “It’s ice cream, you know, but we felt like it was a little bit to say a big thank you for what they did.”
All the boys credit their parents with teaching them to always to the right thing and say that’s what they’d tell other kids if they found themselves in a similar situation.
“Do the right thing,” Mason Porter said. “It’s just not always running away from stuff and being a bad person.”
Detectives are still looking into how it ended up on the sidewalk.
Anyone with information about a the gun is encouraged to call police.
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