WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — The mayor of West Memphis says a police-issued gun was stolen from his vehicle, and now officers are working to recover that weapon.
Mayor Marco McClendon said he had the gun for his protection.
“I was born and raised in this city,” McClendon said. “I’m a mayor that’s very out in the public and you know being the leader of a city sometimes you are very liked and sometimes you aren’t liked. So, to have that protection is something they felt that I needed.”
McClendon says he has all the needed training and licenses to carry a gun. Though the theft of the gun is coming to light now, McClendon reported the case Nov. 17.
But according to the police report, McClendon told officers he believe the weapon was taken from his glove box sometime between Oct. 3 and 6.
McClendon says he waited to report the gun missing because he was hopeful he would be able to recover it from the person who took it.
“Well actually, to be honest with you, I was in the process of moving from a loft to a home and I had several vehicles that I had, individuals helping me move, so I had individuals in my truck and it came missing,” McClendon said.
But McClendon could never prove anything, so he had to file a report.
“There was several people in my vehicle. I have several vehicles, and we were using all three vehicles to actually move my things from one place to another,” McClendon said.
McClendon added, “They were associates I would call them, associates, people you pay to help you.”
Some people are criticizing the mayor, saying he should have had the gun in a safe. McClendon says things could have been done better, and that is his message to the public.
“Need to make sure you take the proper precautions to be more responsible,” McClendon said. “I probably should’ve had the gun on me you know to make sure it’s on me at all times, so definitely if I could go back and do it again we wouldn’t be here, but it’s just something that happened. And I’m going to learn from it and we’re going to move forward.”
McClendon called the case frustrating and said if police track down the person responsible he will press charges. Additionally, according to the police report, the gun is believed to have been removed from McClendon’s city-issued SUV.