Shotgun returned after 25 years

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - It's an amazing story of a crime set right after 25 years.

Robert Lutz never expected to see his stolen shotgun again. To Lutz, the shotgun wasn't just a gun, but a sentimental object, passed down to him by his father. 25 years ago someone broke into his home and stole that gun.

Lutz now lives in Kalamazoo, but he says he never forgot about his gun, and was shocked to hear that police found it in Van Buren County so many years later.

"I thought about it all the time," Lutz said. "I'd take my son hunting or go out shooting . . . all the time wondering what happened to it, who's got it. I never thought I'd get it back."

Lutz received the call notifying him the shotgun had been found just a few days, and after all these years the gun is still in good condition.

Police found the gun while searching for a meth lab at a Van Buren County home.