Stolen Graves County gun returned after seven years with note honoring fallen California deputy

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

MAYFIELD, Ky., (KBSI) — A stolen handgun reported missing from Graves County in 2018 has finally been returned to its rightful owner — along with a heartfelt note honoring a fallen California deputy who helped recover it.

According to the Graves County Sheriff’s Office, a resident from the Fancy Farm area reported in January 2018 that a Glock semiautomatic pistol had been stolen from his vehicle overnight. The gun’s serial number was entered into a national database as stolen.

More than six years later, on Aug. 7, 2024, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office in California notified Graves County authorities that the weapon had been recovered. Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr. had located the firearm during an investigation into street racing incidents with suspected gang ties. A search of an apartment led to the discovery of the stolen Glock, which was held as evidence until the suspects’ case concluded.

Once the case was adjudicated, the California sheriff’s office arranged to ship the firearm back to Kentucky.

When Graves County detectives opened the package on Oct. 8, 2025, they found a note and several photos from Cuevas’ colleagues. The note read:

“I wanted to include the following information with this gun. This firearm was recovered by one of our late deputy sheriffs, Hector Cuevas Jr. (who was killed in the line of duty on March 17, 2025). He was an amazing deputy who was definitely one of the hardest working our station and department has seen. I thought I’d share this information with you, since the victim to the theft is also in the law enforcement family. Thank you for everything you do! No matter the distance, we are all family.”

Deputy Cuevas, who served with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Victorville City Station, was killed in a line-of-duty traffic crash on March 17, 2025.

A department statement remembered him as a devoted family man, mentor, and public servant whose “true passion and deep love for God, his family, his friends, and his work as a law enforcement officer shone through in every aspect of his life.”

Cuevas was known for mentoring at-risk youth and following up with families affected by his cases, often offering help and encouragement long after arrests were made.

“The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was blessed to have such an amazing individual as part of our family,” the agency wrote. “He will be missed, but never forgotten.”

Deputy Cuevas is survived by his wife and children.

The Graves County Sheriff’s Office shared the story Wednesday, calling it both remarkable and deeply moving — a story that began with a crime in Kentucky and ended with a message of unity from across the country.