CASTAIC , Calif., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A badge and pistol lost by a law enforcement officer over two decades ago was found by a fisherman in the receding waters of a drought-stricken lake.

Jay Poore told KCAL that while fishing at the dam on Castaic Lake, he noticed a backpack that became exposed after a drought made water levels drop by roughly 150 feet.


"As I opened it up a gun fell out," he said. "I opened the wallet and there was a badge."

Poore, who has fished at the lake since the age of 2, turned in the items -- which also consisted of a class ring, a pager, a watch and a pocket-size calendar -- to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.

Officers confirmed that the items belonged to an unnamed agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The agent said that he had visited the lake in 1992 with a friend, and that the backpack was lost to the waters when the boat they were using became swamped.

The agent said that he was heavily criticized by colleagues at the time, but was glad that the items had been found and his story validated.