EXETER -- A South Hampton police cruiser, stolen almost 10 years ago, was found on the bottom of the Exeter River Friday.

According to State Troop A Sgt. Richard Mitchell, the find resulted from a tip passed on to State Police about six weeks ago.

The car was stolen in August 1997, when the South Hampton Police Department was burglarized. A shotgun contained in the car when it was stolen was still in the vehicle Friday.

Mitchell said specific information provided to state police led investigators to the bank of the river at Gilman Park. A team of divers from New Hampshire Fish and Game found the car 50 feet offshore.

"The car was definitely put in there 10 years ago to dispose of it," Mitchell said.

Fish and Game Lt. Bruce Bonenfant and conservation officer Brian Abrams, in diving gear, searched the river in a grid pattern and located the cruiser after a few passes.

"It was probably in about 15 feet of water and it was covered in silt, so it was hard to see," explained Abrams. "We could only see about four feet in front of us, so we tried to stay toward the bottom. We had made two passes and were on our third pass when my partner, Bruce, spotted it."

The divers then surfaced and worked out a plan with a wrecking crew from Al's Automotive to remove the car from the river.

State Police plan to work with the tipster to find a suspect. Mitchell said if police locate the suspect, authorities will charge the person with Class B felony burglary.