A county sheriff in Nevada has apologised for leaving her handgun unattended in the ladies' toilet at a casino last week and asked forgiveness from voters just three weeks ahead of her re-election bid.

Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said the lunchtime incident at the Saddle West hotel-casino was embarrassing.

In a sheriff's office Facebook message, Sheriff Wehrly said she put the weapon on one side in a cubicle and left it while answering a mobile phone call. She said she was returning to the fetch it about 10 minutes later when the gun was found by a casino employee.

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