Gun Bust Nabs School Worker

A school district groundskeeper is in custody after a search of his home turned up a stockpile of 80 automatic weapons, including illegal AK-47 assualt rifles, and 50,000 rounds of ammunition, reports CBS station KCBS-TV in Los Angeles.

Orange County sheriff's deputies were serving a warrant at the man's house Wednesday morning to search for maintenance equipment allegedly stolen from the district, authorities said.

Jerry Peacock, an employee with the Capistrano Unified School District, was arrested for investigation of receiving stolen property, said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

Peacock is being held on $10,000 bail.

Authorities said the cache is possibly the largest weapons bust ever in Orange County.

The weapons, which included eight machine guns and several World War II-vintage carbines, were stored inside two safes at the home.

"They found 80 assault weapons, some of which appear to be fully automatic," said sheriff's Lt. Tom Garner.

Some of the missing maintenance equipment also was recovered.

It wasn't immediately known how or why he obtained the weapons, Amormino said. The federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is helping authorities trace the origin of the guns.

Deputies also found stacks of magazines at the house, including Solder of Fortune, Guns of the World, Combat and The Ultimate Sniper.

Peacock, 43, was hired by the district in 1993 and worked at its 42 campuses as needed, said spokeswoman Julie Jennings. She said he has been on disability for five months.

Officials say Peacock had never threatened students or school district employees.