They normally mow lawns, cut weeds and keep cemeteries tidy. But Monday, Ironton Municipal Court workers got a chance to do something that is not normally on their to-do list: find a gun used in a shooting.

Probation Chief Rob Van Keuren said people sentenced to community service through the court system were asked to help Ironton police search for the .22 Smith and Wesson hand gun that authorities allege was

used to kill Damon Pringle, of Ironton early Monday morning. Authorities did not find a gun at the time they arrested Isaiah Sudderth, of Columbus, in connection with that shooting when they detained him near the Lawrence -Scioto line. They theorized the gun had to be somewhere between the scene of the crime in the 800 block of 10th Street and the county line but needed additional manpower to comb the area. Although it is not common for municipal court workers to help in such detail, those extra people came in handy, Ironton police detective, Capt. Chris Bowman said.

“We had to search an area basically from State Route 93 to the county line,” he said. “They were out there and they were chaperoned.”

They formed a skirmish line and started out near Kehoe’s and searched, Van Keuren said.

“They were told ‘if you find the gun, don’t touch it, just raise your hand,” Van Keuren said. “And they got to the area near Rock Avenue and one of them raised his hand and then the rest of them gathered around and all their hands went up.”

Approximately a half a dozen community service workers were involved I the search.