By ANNE LINDBERG, TB Reporter

The man, who lived in Dunedin, also had maps of a Hillsborough elementary and middle school and water treatment plant.

DUNEDIN – A Dunedin man was accused of making and possessing bombs after deputies found explosive devices and an arsenal of weapons in his home while they were searching for child pornography, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Randall Winston Drake, 24, of Dunedin, was charged with two counts of unlawfully possessing, making or attempting to make a destructive device.

Among the items found in a closet in Drake’s bedroom were three “destructive devices,” more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition, a crossbow, firearms and maps of Essrig Elementary and Ben Hill Middle schools and a water treatment plant in Hillsborough County. Deputies said they also found a handwritten note: “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.”

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the cache of weapons could be called an “arsenal.”

“It seems like an arsenal to me,” Gualtieri said. “I think that’s a fair characterization.”

The investigation is ongoing, the sheriff said, but, at this point, it appears Drake was a “sleeper” or “lone wolf.” Gualtieri compared him with Stephen Paddock, the gunman who killed 58 people and injured almost 500 others during an Oct. 1 shooting in Las Vegas.

Gualtieri said they found the weapons Wednesday (Oct. 18) afternoon while executing a search warrant at the Dunedin home where Drake lives with his parents. The warrant had been issued in connection with a child pornography investigation.

During their search for child pornography, deputies found a closet in Drake’s bedroom that was locked with a combination lock. Deputies entered the closet and found a large collection of weapons that included three “destructive devices.”

Two of the homemade destructive devices were constructed of metal cylindrical cigar tubes containing gun powder and wicks for detonation. The third device was constructed of a plastic tube containing gun powder, wrapped in tape with a fuse.

Deputies said they also found a folder with aerial photographs of Essrig Elementary School and Ben Hill Middle School in Hillsborough County, aerial photographs of a water treatment plant in Hillsborough County, and several books and handwritten notes documenting how to make explosive devices. They also found the handwritten note.

Members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff Bomb Squad Team along with representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the scene. The Hillsborough bomb squad team safely removed the destructive devices from the home.

Deputies confiscated 10 rifles, eight handguns, two shotguns, more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition, a make shift firearm sound suppressor, more than 15 knives, a baseball bat with protruding nails, a crossbow, brass knuckles, gun powder and other evidence.

Deputies said Drake refused to talk with them.

“No one’s really talking to us,” Gualtieri said at a press conference Thursday (Oct. 19). Gualtieri said deputies had talked with Drake’s girlfriend who told them he’s not violent. His parents have told deputies they did not know what their son was doing. Seeing a combination lock on the closet door in their son’s room was “apparently not” a red flag, he said.

Gualtieri said that, thus far, deputies have found no child pornography.

Deputies said has no criminal history and no history of mental health issues. However, Gualtieri said there were some indicators that something might be wrong. For example, Drake was last known to have worked at Florida Firearms Academy in New Port Richey. He was let go in 2015 after he came to work one day with a gun strapped to this thigh while wearing a flak jacket.

And, Gualtieri said, there was the handwritten note that talked of “bloody revenge.” Gualtieri said he also found it “weird” that Drake named his guns.

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

To view Gualtieri’s press conference, go to youtube.com.

Photos are screen grabs from the press conference and handouts courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Pinellas Sheriff | Crime | Bombs | Arrests | Bob Gualtieri | Tampabay News | Local News

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