LOS ANGELES _ More than 100 firearms, including modified assault rifles, were recovered at the home of the Los Angeles police officer accused of having sex with an underage member of the department's long-hailed cadet program, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times on Friday.
The weapons were recovered during a search of Officer Robert Cain's home in Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday, according to three law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
Some of the weapons were described as "assault rifles," according to the sources. Two of the sources said a grenade launcher and grenades were recovered, but the devices were either dysfunctional or inert.
LAPD investigators are trying to determine if any of the weapons are illegal in California, according to two of the sources.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions, told the Times that Cain has an extensive gun collection and likes to build and modify his own AR-15 semiautomatic rifles. Cain would sometimes invite others to participate in the weapons projects, including fellow law enforcement officers, the neighbor said.
"He moved in three years ago. He threw a party. He is a very friendly guy," the neighbor said.
An LAPD spokesman declined to comment on Friday.
Cain, 31, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of having unlawful sex with a 15-year-old girl who is a member of the LAPD's cadet program. The allegations surfaced as the department continues to investigate the theft of several LAPD cruisers, stun guns, police radios and other equipment that were allegedly carried out by as many as seven cadets in recent weeks.
The victim whom Cain is accused of having sex with was one of the cadets arrested in recent days. Investigators uncovered text messages between Cain and the 15-year-old that suggested "inappropriate behavior," and also revealed Cain likely knew the cadets were stealing cruisers and equipment, according to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.
Beck personally arrested Cain, a 10-year veteran of the department who was assigned to the equipment room at 77th Street Division in South L.A., on Thursday.
"I find the actions of Cain, if they are proven, to be despicable," Beck said Thursday.
Cain was freed on $75,000 bail around 5 a.m. Friday, and his first court appearance is scheduled for July 21, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department records.
Charges have yet to be filed against Cain or any of the cadets arrested in the past week, according to Greg Risling, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
A swarm of LAPD officers arrived at Cain's home Thursday to execute a search warrant and warned residents there may have been explosives inside the home, according to the neighbor, who said Cain lived there with his mother.
