Teacher’s gun stolen, found

A handgun was stolen from a teacher’s car at Bidwell Junior High School Monday afternoon (Nov. 20), but quickly recovered, according to Chico police.

The unidentified teacher reportedly left her vehicle unattended and unlocked for about 30 minutes at the school. She told police she’d been camping the night before and forgot to remove the weapon from her vehicle.

Witnesses reported seeing a man riding a bike with an attached trailer enter the vehicle. After alerting police, the teacher looked for the suspect and spotted a man who fit the description on Cohasset Road. She again notified police, who say they recovered the loaded gun from Lucas East, 24. East was arrested and charged with grand theft from a vehicle and possession of stolen property. He was booked into Butte County Jail.