PLUM: Borough police Sgt. Andrew McNelis walked out of Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey A. Manning's courtroom a free man Tuesday and vowed to do everything he can to get his job back. The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office withdrew a charge against him related to the disappearance of a gun from the police evidence room. McNelis had been scheduled to go on trial Tuesday before Manning on a charge of receiving stolen property. "Legally, I should get my job back," said McNelis, who has been on administrative leave with pay since June. His salary is about $53,000 a year. Plum Councilman Paul Dern Jr., chairman of the public safety committee, said he believes McNelis should remain on leave until the case is resolved. District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala said earlier this month that the case should be handled in federal court because a firearms violation is involved. State Trooper Julian W. Lenoir Jr., the investigating officer, said Tuesday the case has been referred to the U.S. Postal Inspector. The case involves the mailing of a weapon. McNelis, a 10-year veteran of the Plum police department, was charged in May in connection with a Colt .45 that had been classified as missing. The disappearance was discovered when the weapon's owner, Gerald Burch, 44, of Jackson Road in Plum, came to the police department last March to reclaim it. Police said that on March 20, 2002, McNelis mailed a package containing the missing Colt through the Plum post office. Several officers identified McNelis as the person filmed by post office surveillance cameras. Mike DeRiso, McNelis' attorney, has said he could not disclose until trial how McNelis came to possess the gun. DeRiso said he will contact Plum officials about McNelis' request to go back to work. The defense attorney also criticized Plum officials Tuesday, whom he has claimed have political motivation for bringing the case against McNelis. Plum Mayor John Schmeck, who is in charge of the police department, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. In October, Plum police said a significant amount of marijuana was missing from the department's evidence area. They said federal authorities were called in to investigate. Also, during the state police investigation into the missing Colt .45, officials discovered that a second weapon, a .38-caliber revolver, was missing from evidence. Dern said the investigation continues into the other cases of missing evidence.