 |
| Marc Ringel mugshot: NCPD |
 |
| Marc Ringel (NCPD) |
Nassau County police arrested 53-year-old Marc Ringel and were stunned by what they found in his home.
The initial reason for going to Ringel's home had nothing to do with why they ended up arresting him: They went there in response to a silent alarm. Officials say that Ringel had enough explosive material to level and entire city block.
"The incident," reports Newsday, "which began when Fourth Precinct police officers responded to a panic alarm set off by Ringel Tuesday afternoon, turned into an evacuation of the area after those officers found a handgun and two hand grenades inside the residence. Police said that came after officers detected 'the strong smell' of marijuana emanating from the house."
CBS Local New York quotes Police Chief Steven Skrynecki as saying that a search of Ringel's home turned up "15 destructive devices, specifically pipe bombs. Fifteen improvised grenades, approximately 100 handguns, 20 long guns, approximately 50 pounds of ingredients that could be used to make explosives,” and “There was enough explosive material in there to level that house and possibly the entire block.”
Curiously, few reports mention that the FBI and ATF were involved in this arrest. A blog called Private Investigations posted yesterday that "the FBI responded to a home on Long Island with a bomb disposal unit. Police responded to alarm at the home on Narrow Lane in Woodmere at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. When police arrived a man was in driveway. Police asked him for ID. He showed them a credit card. They said that wasn't correct ID. "
Private Investigations (PI) also says that Ringel then went into his house, and when he opened the front door "police got overwhelming smell of pot. Police opened up the door and saw tons of pot plants. They also spotted a handgun and two grenades."
PI quotes one of Ringel's neighbors as saying that he "looked like he could have been on drugs or drunk.” Another friend of Ringel "called Ringel a good man caught in a bad circumstance."
Commentary: Sure, we all get caught up in bad circumstances now and then. I mean, who doesn't occasionally find his home packe with marijuana plants, bomb-making materials, grenades and a carload of guns?
