Agents with the California Department of Justice seized 11 firearms at a residential care home in Concord last week and arrested an employee, according to Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Bonta said in a press release on Thursday that on Oct. 29, state agents served a warrant at the care home and recovered the firearms, which including eight assault weapons. The care home, which was not identified, housed elderly residents and infant children, according to the press release.
Agents found the guns in an upstairs area of the care home and a worker at the home, identified in a court document as Alekisanita Mataele.
“A residential care setting is supposed to be a sanctuary of safety and protection,” said Bonta in a statement. “Introducing firearms into an environment dedicated to providing care raises serious concerns about the well-being of those who depend on these facilities as well as the safety of the individuals working in the facilities.”
Charges against Mataele include one felony count of importation of an assault weapon, nine felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon, one felony count of importation of a large-capacity magazine, and one misdemeanor count of improper storage of a firearm where a child or prohibited person could gain access.