A Hugo man called police Monday morning to report that his .380-caliber Ruger handgun might have flown off the roof of his car near Oneka Elementary School in Hugo.

The man left his house in the 4900 block of Emmit Drive about 9:15 a.m. and put his coffee cup and gun on the roof of his car. He remembered to grab his coffee cup before getting into his car, but he neglected to retrieve his handgun, said Cmdr. Doug Anschutz of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The man drove neighborhood roads near the school before getting on Interstate 35E in Lino Lakes. He drove about seven miles on I-35E south to White Bear Lake before realizing his gun was missing, Anschutz said.

“He lives right around the corner from the school — that’s why we were super concerned, and he was super concerned,” Anschutz said. “By calling right away, he gave us enough time to search the area before the kids got out of school. That was our primary goal.”

Deputies notified school officials and local law enforcement agencies and used police dogs to search the entire area, including walking about 1½ miles from the man’s house to Frenchman Road. They also drove I-35 and walked the I-35E onramp, but did not find the gun, he said.

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Third body recovered from scene of fatal plane crash in Cottage Grove Officials even put a small tool kit in a leather pouch — the same weight as the gun — on the top of a car and drove the same route. Deputies searched extra in the area where the tool kit fell off, said Sgt. Joe Stoehr.

“It’s not a scientific test, obviously, but it did give us some idea that it was likely somewhat closer to 35,” Stoehr said.

Anyone who finds a gun in the area is asked to call their local police department or the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 651-439-9381.