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Randall Drake: Florida man arrested after explosives, guns, school maps found at home

Posted at 6:59 AM, Oct 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-20 09:42:20-04

(WFLA/NBC/WFTS) - Police say a Florida man arrested Thursday had enough weapons to start his own war.

The Pinellas County sheriff says Randall Drake, 24, amassed several destructive devices, including an AK-47 and homemade bombs.

Deputies were serving a search warrant regarding child pornography when they found the devices and made the arrest.

Deputies also found maps and aerial overviews of multiple Hillsborough schools including Essrig Elementary and Ben Hill Middle School, as well as Hillsborough County's Water Treatment Plant.


The bomb squad recovered several firearms including an AK-47, a 12-gauge shotgun and a pistol.

Other items found at the home included 15 knives, a bat with nails protruding from it, more than 2,300 rounds of ammunition, three homemade bombs and a homemade silencer.

Drake's last recorded place of employment was a Florida firearms academy.

Investigators said a tragedy may have been averted after they say they found a threatening note that ended with the words, "the world will burn."

"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," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

Drake lives with his parents, but the firearms and bombs were discovered in a closet in his bedroom that had a combination lock on it.

Drake, who has no criminal background, is now charged with two counts of unlawfully making or possessing a destructive device.

Below is a handwritten letter found at the scene:

“Randal appears to be as we would refer to as a sleeper,” Gualtieri said during the press conference. “We have no criminal intelligence information on him, he has no criminal history, no background.”

Gualtieri said the man was likely a lone wolf, reminiscent of "what we saw recently in Las Vegas."

Courtesy: WFLA via NBC News Channel and WFTS-TV