Boston bedbug inspection turns up arsenal of weapons, no pests

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) – A man and a woman were arraigned Monday on multiple firearms charges after workers looking for bedbugs instead found a cache of weapons hidden under a mattress, a district attorney said.

Sayira Cooper, 24, of Boston's South End, and Dannie Levy, 29, of Mattapan, were each arraigned on 11 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, two counts of possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number, and one count each of illegal possession of a large capacity weapon, improper storage of a large capacity weapon, and unsafe storage with a minor present.

A judge set bail for Cooper at $3,500 and for Levy at $7,500. Each of the defendants is required to wear a GPS monitoring device, abide by a curfew, and comply with requirements set forth by the Dept. of Children and Families.

Pest control workers supervised by a Boston Housing Authority employee went to Cooper's apartment at 16 East Brookline Street at about 10:40 a.m. for a scheduled bedbug inspection; however, instead of finding bedbugs when they lifted a mattress, they found a Ruger .380 semiautomatic and a Glock .357, court documents said.

Prosecutors said Boston Housing Authority Police responded to the unit and found a 2-year-old child sitting unattended. Officers reportedly found Cooper and Levy so fast asleep in a bedroom that they were unable to rouse the couple.

Boston police also responded to the scene with a search warrant and discovered a safe under the bed Cooper and Levy were sleeping in. Inside the safe, police said they found a loaded Smith & Wesson .380 caliber revolver with a defaced serial number, a loaded Taurus five shot .45 caliber revolver and a North American Arms .22 caliber revolver. Police also found 300 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said.

The 2-year-old child was transported to his grandmother's house at Cooper's request.

Police say a notice of the pest inspection date was on the bedroom mirror.

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