SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A Rancho Bernardo father, who is facing 13 felony charges after police found a rocket launcher, grenades, and a trove of other weapons inside his home, holds a secret government clearance.
Neal Anders, 45, is the father of a 14-year-old boy who is accused of threatening to shoot up Rancho Bernardo High School.
The teen made the threat last Friday, according to Deputy District Attorney Roza Egiazarian.
She said the boy told several of his Grade 9 classmates he was going to bring guns to school and claimed he had easy access to them at home due to a broken lock.
San Diego Police obtained a gun violence restraining order and searched the boy’s home.
Inside, Egiazarian said officers found an inert rocket launcher and grenades along with a trove of other weapons.
“There were 29 assault rifles, nine of we charged were unserialized, which is the crime. You cannot have, in the state of California, an unserialized assault rifle. There were nine. There were also what we believe to be the ability to manufacture more. There were books as it relates to manufacturing and making assault rifles, AKs.”
The prosecutor added police found 19 AR-15s along with 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
Egiazarian alleged Anders moved 3D printing presses used to make ghost guns to a storage locker after police searched his home.
She said police have no evidence Anders was planning any kind of attack on the school with his son.
“We have no evidence to believe that he was going to use these weapons at this time, just that he was in possession, illegal possession of unserialized assault rifles, as well as the destructive device and having short barrel shotgun.”
Anders' defense attorney Gregory Garrison entered a not guilty plea to all 13 felonies he is charged with and maintained his client has done nothing wrong.
He said Anders has no criminal history and holds a secret government clearance.
Team 10 confirmed on Tuesday that Anders is a deputy engineer at Innovative Defense Technologies, a military defense contractor.
“I have spoken with his employer and his employer anxiously awaits his return to work," Garrison told the court.
The judge set bail at $300,000. Anders is due back in court next month.
