Features

The Associated Press 

LAGUNA NIGUEL — A fired nuclear power plant employee was sentenced to 90 days in jail Thursday for threatening former co-workers and amassing illegal weapons. 

David Reza pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of making a harassing telephone call and a felony count of possessing an assault rifle. 

Authorities said Reza called a union representative after he was fired from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in January and said: “They have taken my job, they have taken my life ... I’ll take my guns and go to San Onofre and whack a bunch of people.” 

Deputies served search warrants at Reza’s Laguna Niguel home and a storage unit in nearby San Juan Capistrano, finding 54 weapons at the house and more than 250 in the storage unit. Among them was a hand-held, anti-tank rocket launcher 

They also found 4,000 to 5,000 rounds of ammunition and four inert hand grenades lying next to a container of explosive powder. 

Reza said the weapons were antiques he had been collecting since childhood. 

Orange County Superior Court Judge Carlton Biggs ordered Reza to report to jail on Oct. 11 and placed him on three years of probation. He must stay at least 300 yards away from the power plant and cannot contact the plant’s employees. 

The 44-year-old mechanic also was fined over $2,000 and ordered to turn over most of his gun collection to a gun dealer, Deputy District Attorney Patti Sanchez said.