Man Prohibited from Owning Handguns Found with 500 Firearms
Albert Sheakalee Fresno County booking photo
CLOVIS – Authorities removed more than 500 firearms from the possession of a Clovis man who was legally barred from owning them, and is in the Armed Prohibited Persons System database, according to Attorney General Kamala Harris.
Special agents with the California Department of Justice Bureau seized 209 handguns, 88 shotguns, 234 rifles, 181 standard capacity magazines, 10 high capacity magazines, 100,521 rounds of various ammunition, and 10 assault weapons, including a .50 caliber bolt action rifle.
Albert Sheakalee, 59, was arrested Friday, November 13 for illegally possessing the firearms. He is currently out of jail after posting $11,000 bail.
Sheakalee, who does not appear to have a prior criminal history, is the owner of the Green Gables Care Home in Clovis. He is in the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database because of a prior mental health hold, which bars individuals from possessing firearms, the Attorney General’s office said.
“Removing firearms from dangerous and violent individuals who pose a threat to themselves and the public is a top priority for the California Department of Justice,” Harris said. “I thank our Bureau of Firearms Special Agents for their bravery in carrying out these dangerous investigations and their commitment to keeping our communities safe.”
APPS works to identify individuals who previously procured firearms, but later became barred from legally owning them because they were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness.
California is the only state in the country to establish an automated system for tracking handgun and assault weapon owners who might fall into a prohibited status.
