Loaded gun found buried on Hilton Head Beach

A loaded .22-caliber Ruger pistol was found buried in the sand Tuesday afternoon by a Hilton Head beachgoer.

The weapon, which had 10 rounds in its magazine, was discovered near beach marker 103 at Folly Field Beach, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report released Wednesday.

A lifeguard was alerted and police were called, the report said.

Deputies ran the pistol’s serial number through a database “to determine if the hand gun had been reported lost or stolen,” according to the report.

Eventually deputies determined that the gun likely belonged to an Ohio man vacationing on the island.

Police were able to make contact with the man’s girlfriend, who told deputies that he “became very belligerent” earlier this week and returned to Ohio, according to the report.

Deputies “advised (the girlfriend) to inform (the alleged gun owner) how he could retrieve the weapon with proper proof of ownership,” the report said.

No charges were filed.

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Loaded gun found buried on Hilton Head Beach."