Angler Reels In Loaded Gun

An Illinois fisherman got the surprise of his life when he pulled a loaded handgun from the Hennepin Canal on Monday.

According to the Geneseo Republic, 22-year-old Adam Hoogerwerf reeled in a bag containing a .22-caliber pistol with some spare ammo while fishing on the Hennepin Canal. Hoogerwerf said he felt his hook snag something, though he was sure it wasn't a fish or weeds. In fact, he said, it was probably a turtle.

Instead, Hoogerwerf pulled in a bag emblazoned with the words "Costa del Mar," and after discovering its contents, called the police, who arrived on the scene shortly thereafter.

"They came out and said, 'We hear you caught a gun,'" Hoogerwerf said. "It was so strange."

After taking a few pictures, police confiscated the gun, which was caked with mud and debris, and sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab in Morton, Ill.

"(Hoogerwerf) did the right thing by calling us," Geneseo Police Chief Tom Piotrowski said. "When we responded, our first concern was with safety. We wanted to make sure it didn't discharge. After that, we processed it like any other piece of evidence."