Eugene Man Arrested After Checking Door Handles, Loaded Gun Found

Neil Rory Sharp, 43, was arrested late Thursday morning after multiple residents near Cape Hatteras Drive called Eugene police to report a man moving through their yards and trying door handles. When officers caught up with him, they found a loaded firearm in his backpack.

One of the callers who reported Sharp's movements was a woman home alone with two small children at the time, according to the Eugene Police Department.

Officers responded to the northeast Eugene neighborhood and an EPD sergeant deployed a drone to search for the suspect. The drone located Sharp south of Chad Drive on Game Farm Road, where an officer stopped and detained him. During the investigation, officers found the loaded firearm inside a backpack he was carrying.

Sharp was booked into the Lane County Jail on charges of felon in possession of a restricted weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of second-degree criminal trespass. The case is being investigated under Eugene Police case number 26-03688.

The felon in possession charge indicates Sharp has a prior felony conviction, though specific details about his criminal history were not released. No information has been made available about whether any doors were successfully opened, whether any property was taken, or whether any residents were physically harmed during the incident.