A couple of folks have sent us links to the investigation of Jeffrey Alan Lash who had amassed more than 1200 firearms and tons of ammunition – so much that it took law enforcement more than three days to remove it all from his home. He also had 14 cars registered in his name, of which police have only recovered eight so far, stashed around the city. He told his girlfriend of 17 years that he was a secret squirrel and that he was constantly being followed.
Back on July 4th, while in a shopping center parking lot, Lash felt ill (probably because he was in the late stages of cancer) and refused to allow his girlfriend to take him to a hospital, so while she tried to treat his symptoms, Lash expired, but not before he told her to abandon his body in the car because the folks who had been following him would recover it. So she went to Seattle for ten days. When she got back, his body was still in the car and he was decomposing in the California heat, so she called the police.
From CBS Sacramento;
LAPD Deputy Chief of Detectives Kirk Albanese said there’s no indication the man was doing anything illegal with the weapons. Detectives were reviewing everything, but so far the guns appeared to be registered to him. Many were still in boxes or had price tags.
[…]
Police say they don’t believe there was any foul play involved in his death, but the official cause has been deferred pending further investigation.
[…]
The guns are worth more than $5 million, Braun said, and along with the ammunition, took three days to remove from the home, which remains piled 6-feet high with items throughout.
“Hoarding times 10,” Braun said.
I always thought that there was no such thing as too many guns, but I think Mr. Lash found the limit. According to the LA Times, some of his neighbors (who knew Lash as Bob) tell the Times that he told them whacky stories, like his night missions which required him to swim to Catalina.
Comments
60 responses to “The strange case of Jeffrey Alan Lash”
Soooooo, whens the firearms auction?
It’s Commiefornia, I would bet if no family steps forward, they will have a party where they drive over the guns with a steamroller, or throw them all in a blast furnace. Then tout how many guns they just “removed from the streets”
If the morons running California had any business sense, they would sell the guns and see how close to the $5M they come, then use the windfall to pay off some of their debt. But, being stupid hippies, they’ll do the feel good thing and destroy them all (or give them to someone to make “art” out of them) because black lives matter, or something.
There’s a state senator that has contacts in the PI. Just sayin.
Last I heard he’s going to be busy for the next few years….
@ Bobo:
Seeing as how I’m a Kalifornicator myself, I can tell you exactly what the bankrupt dumbasses that run the state would do with a $5 million windfall.
They’d start a new commiescum welfare program that would only cost $20 mill or so to start. Of course, all that $5 mill would be spent in trying to keep all the other useless, pointless and purposeless programs afloat before the new one can even get it’s ground breaking cerimony with all the hollywierd celebs in attendance (a ceremony that’d cost a paltry $7 mill all by itself).
HA! That’s how much you know about the awesome and fearless dictator of our GREAT state! He’d use that money to fast track the high speed rail we’re in such desperate need of!
Or buy some frigging water!!!
No more blast furnaces in CA…they just import steel. Also because its Commiefornia:-p
I hate LA (as most SoCal natives do), but I’m willing to make the drive from San Diego County to make a few bids. Or at least I would be, if I could get the time off. It’s fire season, so that ain’t happening.
Rockin’ the lie right up till his last breath. Talk about a case study. Sadly, I bet he believed it in his mind.
6 tons of ammo? I am jealous.
Got any .22?
Maybe this guy was the reason none of the rest of us could find any? 😀
All that range time…
Hmmmm. Strange doesn’t even begin to cover it, but until they find any of it to be acquired illegally…
Let’s see . . . 1200+ firearms, 6 tons of ammo, 14 cars, secret squirrel claims, swim to Catalina claims. Yeah, I think this is probably apropos:
A neighbor said:
“He’ll say crazy things to people like he does night missions swimming to Catalina,” said one neighbor, who declined to give her name, saying she was afraid. “He would come … and tell us he would show us self-defense moves.”
Was he using a shovel in any of those self-defense moves?
Ahhh come on. You know it’s coffee time for some of us still. My dog is still taking cover.
Now, that is hoarding to the nth degree.
Sounds like he was definitely loonie-tunes… but does it bother anyone that the police are doing this guilty-until-proven-innocent fishing expedition on the guns? Confiscate until the guns are proven not to have some sort of suspicious origins?
“Confiscate”? Umm..what else would you do with all those guns? I haven’t heard of any family members lining up to claim them.
What!? My favorite Uncle Jeffery is dead!? [hastily puts in claim…]
How about “secure the premises and notify family members” – you ever hear of someone with, say, an extensive Beanie Babies collection dying and having all the dolls traced?
The burglars are kicking themselves silly right now. All those guns, ammo, not to mention 1/4 mil in cash. Hell, the PD probably had to rent a wing of a storage lot and post 24/7 guards on it.
I am boxless. I needs my box.
Looks like Hondo broke the blog.
It was Count Chocula
Happy now?
😉
Hey, has the spirit of Lash taken over this thread? It’s the only one acting odd, reversing the page, missing the boxes, not offering the sidebar stuff. If so, Mr. Lash, I apologize if I offended you in any way.
It’s the super DUPER secret squirrel hidden BOX deal! The latest in stealth blog commenting, soon to be featured in all the most fashionable bloggaspheric nebulae.
Well, it WAS the latest stealth posting thingy…
(humming the “Tubular Bells” extract used as theme music for The Exorcist)
Exorcism completed.
Did you know that Michael Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” launched an empire? It was the first hit for a new and obscure British album label, Virgin Records, owned by a guy named Dick Branson. Last I heard, he owns an airline, is trying to get into space, and goes by “Sir.” All started by “Tubular Bells.” that kept Virgin Records afloat during its rocky start.
Yep. The original catalog number assigned to the album was V2001.
Three bits of trivia concerning the album that I find fascinating:
a. Although it sounds much like Vincent Price, that is NOT Price acting as MC and introducing the instruments part near the end of side/track 1. That was Vivian Stanshall, an English songwriter/musician most famous for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
b. The vocals on the Piltdown Man portion of side/track 2 (about 2/3 of the way through) that sound like an out of control drunk screaming his brains out are exactly that. They came about due to Branson pressuring Oldfield to add some vocals to the album. Oldfield adamantly resisted doing so – until one day, fed up, Oldfield stormed out of Branson’s office yelling, “You want lyrics? I’ll give you lyrics!” He then got blitzed (Oldfield says he drank half a bottle of Jamesons’s), had someone take him to the studio, and had the crew there record him screaming and yelling for about 10 minutes. Those yells and screams were processed and included on the album’s second side in the “Piltdown Man” section.
c. It was recorded in late 1972-early 1973 – before Oldfield turned 20.
But he indeed gave Branson some lyrics, as Branson demanded. (smile)
Helluva album.
Sounds like a severe case of OCD, with a generous helping of paranoia. A little sad, but at least he didn’t harm anyone but himself.
Am I the only one that hopes a (sane) relative steps forward and gets all of his property?
I just want to see the fucking gun grabbing cock-knobbers gnashing their teeth as they have to relinquish all the “evil” guns they were hoping to destroy.
If I he died with a valid will, his property will go as he set forth in the will. If he didn’t have a will, his property will go by the succession set forth in statute. If there is absolutely no relative, the estate goes to the state. I find it interesting that his “fiance” has an attorney who is quoted regarding this matter.
Repeat after me: “palimony” claim.
Crap! Should have read this before I posted below. Palimony…yuck.
Seeing how it’s California, here’s what I think will happen.
The state will some how refuse to allow the family to take possession of the guns (“registration issues” or some other bullshit).
Force the family to sell them at auction (and charge the family a commission, in addition to the commission that the auction charges)
THEN the state will use the estate tax to tax the market value of the guns (or auction gross receipts which ever is larger).
And find some dubious legal grounds to keep the ammunition also.
IF the family and/or people mentioned in the will contest the states actions, California will “accidently” destroy the weapons and ‘misplace’ the ammunition.
They will go to ridiculous lengths to keep people (except criminals) from actually possessing weapons
Why would anybody need 1200 weapons? Because, as the Hero of Canton, Mr. Jayne Cobb, would say, “I get excitable as to choice. Like to keep my options open.”
Someone please let me know if girlfriend decides to have a garage sale…please.
what does she look like? she is single now after all…
and gullible.
They got him with cancer, just like Jack Ruby.
The more I think about this, the more I wonder where the $$$ came from.
I mean, really: even if most of the weapons were “Saturday Night Specials” and cheap, you’re still talking probably $100 or more each – more if they were decent pieces. That’s at least $120k for the weapons alone, and probably quite a bit more (I’d guess $200k or more). Add God only knows how much for the ammo and, say, $5k average each for the autos, and we’re talking probably at least $250-300k.
Even if he did this over 20 years, that’s still around $12-15k annually – and maybe way more than that.
That’s a helluva lot of $$$.
Well, he apparently left behind a stash of cash as well as an abundance of ammo, a gooneybird-sized grouping of guns, and a stable of steel steeds.
Either he inherited the money and didn’t know what to do with it, or he won the lottery, because there is nothing that says any of his acquisitions were the result of ill-gotten gains. I guess he just liked spending his blunt on something that made him happy, except that he was so paranoid, he didn’t really enjoy it. He just bought it and piled it up.
But if, as John Lennon so aptly observed, happiness is a warm gun, then he must have found some kind of happiness – nay, some sort of physical release, every time he had his hands on his guns.
Big or small, he liked them all.
Nah. I almost buy his strange story. In fact, everything points to something nefarious or, at least, highly, highly suspicious. Nobody, including his family, even knew what he did for a living. He had 8 vehicles stashed all over the region including one that was built for amphibious use. $500k in guns….lots of cash..and no history. Yeah..I’m sure he’s your honest everyday patriot.
Considering there is at least one in the pic they usually show which appears to be a .50 BMG, I would up that average price to at least $500. I have read on other sites that this is an affluent area and he was far from poor. Have to agree with Mr. Hardin below – someone threw mine (well, the ones I had before that tragic fire/theft/whatever it was) in a pile I’d be back to haunt their asses too.
naw, the cars may not be much either, surely not bmws, lambos,bugatti ,maybachs. Probably just some roached out 80s-90s gm a bodies he got for a couple hundo, I mean if i was running from “them” I wouldnt want to attract too much attention
I don’t think the guns are Saturday Night Specials. When looking at the long gun pictures, I noticed what appeared to be McMillan stocks on some of the rifles. At $700 a pop just for the stock, I’m thinking that we are talking real money here.
The original story claimed 2 tons of ammo. If you do some quick arithmetic, that is roughly 80,000 rounds of 45 ACP or 7.62×51 ammo. That is a lot but not a HUGE amount. If there was 6 tons, that is a quarter million rounds – we are getting to the HUGE side.
Ok, so when I die someone that has a little respect for firearms please come and do an inventory. The thought of these idiots throwing my weapons into a pile might just cause me to visit their ass in the afterlife.
If it says Morris, Baer, Brown, or Wilson on it please dont throw it into a pile. The last thing I want is a bunch of LEO’s doing an inventory on things they know nothing about.
Feel free to leave the body anywhere you want. I will try to leave a list of people that would love the opportunity to take a shot at me after I cant shoot back. You might do a raffle for first shot and raise some money for Jonn.
If there is any sign I might have been killed by Soviet ammunition don’t call the CIA go looking for that Mother-in-law of mine. I have been pissing in her shoes for years and blaming it on the dog.
Dave, I will do your inventory for you. Your firearms will be treated with care. The firearms will be leaning Barrel down in case of accidental excess oil. Do you have a favorite caliber for MIL. Or would you like the dog to conture his urine habits. How about I pull tricks on her and swear it is your ghost.If I take a trip North , I stop and for a cup of coffee with you. Joe
You are welcome anytime, at least while I am still above ground. Coffee is always on.
Cars and guns. He was nothing more than the male analog of the crazy cat lady.
“He who dies with the most toys…”
Wins?
Love it. His money to do what the hell he wants to with it.
Sure as beats the ex-San Diego Mayor who lost a BILLION dollars gambling. Yes BILLION! Sadly it wasn’t really her money.
This guy may actually qualify for the term so often thrown at others – gun nut!
Yeah, he certainly would win for having the most toys. And then some.
Notice how no one has figured out if he is simply eccentric or really a loon? Depends upon soooo many factors which are not yet known. Poor media. It must be so confusing for them.
It gets even better:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3172296/It-s-worse-Twilight-Zone-movie-Decomposing-body-car-hidden-5M-gun-arsenal-missing-mother-two-believed-dead-man-alien-secret-agent-sent-save-human-race.html
Could this guy be related to, or be the famous John Lamb Lash. Might explain the money. He has some alternative views on religions & the US government.