WESTON, W.Va. – State Treasurer Larry Pack on Monday presented more than $1,000 in unclaimed property funds to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the West Virginia Treasury’s February online firearms auction.
“Safer communities are crucial to attracting, retaining and helping families prosper. That means we need to support our law enforcement by finding additional funding by any means necessary. Holding online gun auctions to clear out evidence rooms are one piece of that puzzle,” Treasurer Pack said. “My office will continue to support our law enforcement agencies as we modernize our Unclaimed Property Program and return monies back to West Virginians at a record pace.”
Treasurer Pack presented $1,086.96 to the Lewis County Sheriff Mickey Metz during a check presentation Monday afternoon. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office sold nine firearms during the February online firearms auction.
“It’s a great honor to have Mr. Pack come and present the check to us. The check does help. We’ve done this a few different times and we’ve been able to use the money from the evidence room to be able to get equipment, new weapons, new guns, different equipment for the vehicles. It’s tax money that we don’t have to ask the Commission for to get these items,” Sheriff Metz said.
Treasurer Pack recently announced the winning bid amount from the February online firearms auction was $82,299.10 placed from a federal firearm licensed dealer in Georgia. There were 527 firearms sold from 19 law enforcement agencies across West Virginia that were up for bid. More than 18 bids were submitted from licensed dealers spanning across ten states.
Last year, the Treasurer’s Office sold 2,347 firearms for a total of $452,073 from one in-person live auction and five online auctions. Winning bids came from federal licensed firearms dealers in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Georgia.
More information about State Treasurer’s Office’s firearms auctions is available at www.wvtreasury.gov/FFL-Auction.
