Authorities have discovered a family living inside the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada, where the parents have stockpiled an arsenal of guns and drug paraphernalia, including marijuana.
The Carson City Sheriff's Office was alerted to the family's presence when they saw a 2-year-old boy and his older sister walking unsupervised near the area. When asked about their address, the older sister said they live in the museum.
Upon closer inspection, the police discovered mattresses, sleeping bags, clothes, food, and other items in the section of the museum with the storage areas, per News 4. They also found three handguns, an AK-47 rifle, pistols, knives, tasers, and ammunition alongside the drugs. These were all within reach of the children.
The police had arrested Wilbert Calhoun, 41, who worked as the museum's custodian before he was terminated. His wife, who was the manager and whose name has not yet been released, was not with the family at the time of the arrest. The couple has five kids.
Community shocked and sorry
Mom Jennifer Trotter expressed shock at the discovery of a family squatting in the museum and could not understand how the board of directors didn't know. She and her kids visit the museum every summer because the site runs a camp.
The Children's Museum of Northern Nevada is a popular and familiar venue, and many locals have had wonderful learning experiences there. Some parents even convince other parents to sign their kids up for summer programs.
Trotter expressed dismay about the museum's condition in recent months. In June, she and other parents complained about this to the board of directors, only to learn about the arrest. The mother said she felt sick when she learned about the family, the guns, and the drugs in the museum.
"That makes me really scared 'cause I have a seven-year-old boy who would've found those things very interesting," said Trotter via KOLO News Now. The community feels sorry for the Calhoun family but believes someone should be held responsible, especially when the safety of the visitors has been at risk.
Visitors saw the kids and the sleeping bags
Trotter and some of the parents told Carson Now that, in hindsight, they should have listened to their children when they talked about the unusual on-goings at the museum's summer program this year. Apparently, after dropping off their children for the day, the actual activities for the children do not start until late morning. Some parents have already pulled out their kids from the summer camp after a week.
When the news of the family got out, some of the kids told their parents that they had seen the family's smaller kids walking around the museum all the time. They have gotten glimpses of the sleeping bags though none saw the guns and drugs.
The museum is currently closed, and a sign out the door indicated a job offer for a new manager. The board of directors has issued a statement saying they are saddened by what happened and are "looking into the best path to reopen" in the safest way possible.
Meanwhile, Calhoun remains in police custody, but the police did not say where the kids have been turned over.
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