The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office placed a deputy on paid leave after the officer left a loaded gun and police badge in an Airbnb rental.
The weapon was found by a nine year old boy who had just checked in with his family at the South Lake Tahoe rental.
The deputy was the previous guest.
The child found the gun in a bedroom drawer just minutes after arriving.
"Imagine if they were playing with it. I’m very angry about it," said the child’s father, Jon Segarra.
"It was just in a drawer in the room. It wasn’t hard to find and it wasn’t hidden."
Segarra said it ‘freaked out’ the family and they decided to immediately check out.
Airbnb said it refunded the family and is conducting its own investigation.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office also opened an internal investigation.
It said the firearm is the deputy’s own personal weapon.
