An Albert Lea police officer recovered a stolen gun linked to a December burglary in Mower County.

The officer did a business check at Sampson Dairy, 126 St. Thomas Ave., Albert Lea, at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the police report. The officer reportedly saw a man walking in a dark area on the south side of the business carrying a long object. When the officer shined light on the suspect, the suspect took ran around the north side of the business. The officer chased the suspect on foot, but the man was last seen running through backyards in the area of Eberhart Street and David Avenue. Upon further examination of the business, Albert Lea Police found a .22-caliber rifle near the northwest corner of Sampson Dairy.

The serial number of the rifle matched that in the National Criminal Information Center database and confirmed the weapon was stolen during a December 2012 burglary in Mower County.

The Austin Police Department provided a K-9 to assist the search for the suspect but no one was found. The suspect is a white male, about 5-foot-10 and was wearing a black sweatshirt or jacket with a hood, blue jeans and white shoes.