ROSEBURG, Ore. -- A gun stolen from a backpack at Roseburg High School was owned by a custodian at the school, according to documents filed in Douglas County Circuit Court.

Custodian Curtis Guyer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of police and internal school investigations, according to Superintendent Lee Paterson of Roseburg Public Schools.



Hope Shaw Hope Shaw

RELATED: Gun stolen from Roseburg High School

A probable cause affidavit filed in court said Guyer’s backpack contained a gun, ammunition and other items. The backpack was in the custodial closet at Roseburg High School when it was reportedly stolen Tuesday night by Hope Shaw, 39, of Roseburg, the affidavit said.

Shaw was arrested later near the Washington Street Bridge in Roseburg. Police said that as they approached her, she dropped the gun and a magazine from the bridge into the water below. A search and rescue team found the gun in the river on Wednesday.

Court documents said Guyer told police he had placed the backpack in the custodian’s closet at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, and it was missing when he went to retrieve it at 7 p.m.

Guyer told police that inside the backpack was a Sig Sauer .40 caliber handgun and four magazines with at least three rounds of ammunition.

Police watched school security video which showed a woman walking in the high school hallway with a black backpack at 6:15 p.m. The woman then left the school and could be seen walking away.

Later Tuesday police received a call that a woman had left a “loaded gun magazine” in a booth at Denny’s restaurant. Police believed the call was likely related to the earlier theft at the high school and quickly responded to Denny’s. While they were responding, they saw a woman walking on the Washington Street Bridge who matched the description of the woman seen in the high school security footage.

When they approached the woman, she could be seen dropping an object over the railing that appeared to be a pistol.

Shaw was taken to the police station, where she told officers she had found the black backpack in a closet at Roseburg High School. She said she didn’t know a gun was inside until she had left the high school. When she opened the backpack and saw the gun inside, she panicked, court documents said.

Shaw admitted to throwing the handgun and one of the magazines over the bridge into the river, the court documents said.

She has been charged with second-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree theft, being a felon in possession of a firearm and tampering with physical evidence.

Shaw was previously convicted of felony unauthorized use of a vehicle and tampering with drug records.