Florida deputies stumble on weapons in child porn raid

Randall Drake, 24, was arrested on two counts of unlawfully making, possessing or attempting to make a destructive device on Wednesday 

Florida police may have inadvertently stopped a Las Vegas-style shooting, by conducting a child porn raid on a 24-year-old’s home in Dunedin. 

On Wednesday, Pinella County Sheriff’s deputies raided the home Randall Drake lives in with his parents, after months of investigating the man for child porn possession and distribution. 

While they haven’t found any child porn yet, they did find a massive arsenal of more than a dozen firearms, disturbing aerial photos of two local schools and a note threatening ‘bloody revenge’. 

‘It’s clear that he’s up to something. What’s the triggered event, why? What’s the motivation, what’s the hatred? Why does he want the world to burn, burn. I don’t know. Hopefully we can try to find out,’ Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a Thursday press conference. 

Drake was arrested at the home during the raid and charged with two counts of unlawfully making, possessing or attempting to make a destructive device.   

Pinella County Sheriff's deputies raided the Dunedin home that Drake shares with his parents on Wednesday, looking for child pornography, bu instead found a massive arsenal of 20 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition 

Pinella County Sheriff’s deputies raided the Dunedin home that Drake shares with his parents on Wednesday, looking for child pornography, bu instead found a massive arsenal of 20 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition 

Deputies removed 10 rifles, eight handguns, two shotguns, more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition, a homemade gun silencer, more than 15 knives, a baseball bat with protruding nails, a crossbow, brass knuckles and gun powder from the home 

Deputies removed 10 rifles, eight handguns, two shotguns, more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition, a homemade gun silencer, more than 15 knives, a baseball bat with protruding nails, a crossbow, brass knuckles and gun powder from the home 

They also found three explosive devices, two of the pipe-bomb-style devices pictures above 

They also found three explosive devices, two of the pipe-bomb-style devices pictures above 

Another one of the explosive devices found in a locked closet  at Drake's home 

Another one of the explosive devices found in a locked closet  at Drake’s home 

Drake may have had dark plans, since they found aerial photos of two Tampa-area schools and a water treatment facility in his closet 

Drake may have had dark plans, since they found aerial photos of two Tampa-area schools and a water treatment facility in his closet 

They discovered an ominous note too, which read: 'The daughters come, and I am ready. I have fed on my hatred for centuries. My fury at those who imprisoned me shall be vast and without mercy. I shall have my bloody revenge, and then the WORLD WILL BURN BURN'

They discovered an ominous note too, which read: ‘The daughters come, and I am ready. I have fed on my hatred for centuries. My fury at those who imprisoned me shall be vast and without mercy. I shall have my bloody revenge, and then the WORLD WILL BURN BURN’

Authorities say detectives found a locked closet while serving the warrant, and inside found three explosive devices and aerial photos of two Hillsborough County schools (an elementary school and a middle school) and a water treatment facility.  The Drake family previously lived in Hillsborough County.

Deputies removed 10 rifles, eight handguns, two shotguns, more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition, a homemade gun silencer, more than 15 knives, a baseball bat with protruding nails, a crossbow, brass knuckles, gun powder, and other evidence from the home. 

Gualtieri says that Drake appears to have named his weapons too. The baseball bat had a label reading ‘Macy’ on it. 

‘He named his guns. That’s weird. I don’t know how else to say this. … Who names their guns?’ the sheriff said. 

Drake lives with his parents at this home on a quiet street in Dunedin. They told police that they knew he had weapons, but didn't know he had amassed so many 

Drake lives with his parents at this home on a quiet street in Dunedin. They told police that they knew he had weapons, but didn’t know he had amassed so many 

They discovered an ominous note too, which read: ‘The daughters come, and I am ready. I have fed on my hatred for centuries. My fury at those who imprisoned me shall be vast and without mercy. I shall have my bloody revenge, and then the WORLD WILL BURN BURN.’

Several books and handwritten notes found at the property detailed how to make explosives  

Police say they tried to interview Drake about the arsenal but he refused to speak. 

The fact that Drake refused to speak is troubling for Gualtieri. 

‘These are the people that are most concerning to us, what we call the lone wolves, the sleepers who are out there, the people who are not on our radar,’ Sheriff Gualtieri said.  

They say he has no criminal history or history of mental health issues. 

Police continue to investigate whether Drake was planning an attack of some sort.   

Drake’s parents told authorities that he had been homeschooled since the third grade. The family had lived in the home since 2014. 

WHAT WAS FOUND AT RANDALL DRAKE’S HOME 

  • An AK-47 with a magazine 60 round clip
  • A 308 caliber rifle
  • A 50 caliber pistol
  • A 12 gauge shotgun
  • Numerous other handguns
  • Around 15 knives
  • A baseball bat with protruding nails in it
  • A crossbow
  • Brass knuckles
  • A container of gunpowder
  • Over 2,300 rounds of ammunition
  • Three incendiary devices
  • A homemade silencer
  • Tactical Vests

Drake’s parents said they knew he owned a few guns but not to the extent of what police found. 

The fact that he had a locked closet in his room was ‘apparently not’ a red flag for them, Sheriff  Gualtieri said. 

Police also spoke to Drake’s girlfriend, who said’s he’s a nice guy who is non-violent.  

The last job he held was at the Florida Firearms Academy in New Port Richey, but he was fired in 2015 for coming to work with guns strapped to his thighs. It’s unclear how long he worked there. 

Tampa Police officials also revealed that Drake was a Tampa Police Department Explorer. He left the program, which helps young people learn about a career in law enforcement, in 2012 and there were no reported issues. 

So far, no child pornography has been found, but police did confiscate Drake’s computer and are continuing to investigate.   

Drake was released from jail after posting $20,000 bail, but was then taken to a mental health facility. 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk