Robert Blake Packs Heat In

A few months after his wife was shot to death, Robert Blake quietly surrendered his gun license to California cops last year, claiming that "the stock market, lawyers' fees, and other matters" led him to give up his permit to pack a Glock and two Smith and Wesson revolvers. Beginning in 1991, Blake was licensed to carry a concealed weapon by police in Culver City, where the 68-year-old actor claimed to live. But Blake's longtime home (from which he has registered to vote) is the so-called Mata Hari Ranch in Studio City, the property searched by cops following Bonny Lee Bakley's May 2001 murder. Because it is difficult to get a carry license from the Los Angeles Police Department, smaller agencies are often tapped for concealed weapons permits. In this brief letter to Culver City cops, Blake proves that his disdain for police apparently does not extend beyond the LAPD. (2 pages)

Just when we were starting to think that Earle Caldwell may actually have been dumb enough to keep a laundry list of items needed to whack Bakley, Blake's bodyguard and his lawyer have helpfully explained the need for those shovels, old rugs, Drano, and "25 Auto." This declaration from Detective Ronald Ito--along with a copy of the note found in Caldwell's Jeep--was filed yesterday (5/1) in L.A. Superior Court. (4 pages)