Marc Ringel (Photo credit: NCPD)
Marc Ringel’s arsenal of guns and explosives inside his parents’ Woodmere home stemmed from an “out of control hobby,” his attorney reportedly said after he pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges Thursday.
That “hobby” was so dangerous that it could have taken out the house and those surrounding it on Narrow Lane, Nassau County police said Wednesday. He also allegedly grew marijuana in the house, where the plants nearly reached the ceiling, according to photos police released.
The 53-year-old was ordered held without bail and is due back in court Monday.
“This is a hobby that got out of control,” his attorney, Saul Bienenfeld, told reporters. “If you look on the Internet, you can easily find out how to make bombs. If you want to take that up as a hobby, everything can be sold legally. It’s when you put it together that you have a problem. Not everything was put together.”
He noted that the collection of guns—100 handguns and 20 long guns, according to police—found scattered throughout the house were purchased online and were going to be resold by Ringel.
Police said Ringel and his parents don’t have handgun permits in the county. His parents, who were in Florida, returned home Wednesday.
Ringel’s attorney also added that he has concerns with how police handled the search after his client was arrested Tuesday afternoon.
“There’s a big issue with whether the search warrant is valid or not,” he said.
Grenades police said they found in Marc Ringel's parents house. (Photo credit: NCPD)
Steven Skrynecki, chief of department for Nassau police, has said investigators secured a search warrant before they raided the house Monday. Police requested the warrant after officers who responded to a silent alarm at the house became suspicious of Ringel.
He was working on a van in the driveway and when they asked for ID, he said he didn’t have any identification on him, police said. Ringel “appeared a littler nervous,” and when he opened the door to the house, police smelled marijuana and spotted what appeared to be a handgun on the floor, police said.
After a brief struggle, Ringel was taken into custody. The officers then called for backup, Skrynecki said.
Nassau police and federal authorities, including the FBI and ATF, later descended on the quiet Woodmere neighborhood. Twenty nearby homes were evacuated in case of an explosion.
Police said Ringel was born in Woodmere, graduated Lawrence High School and traveled around the Midwest for part of his life. He got married in the ‘80s, divorced in 2004 and five years later returned to LI.
Police said he was living in “various locations” and sometimes stayed at his parents home “with and without” their knowledge.
Authorities conducted a secondary of search of the house on Wednesday to determine what Ringel intended to do with his alleged drugs and arms.
Police said they discovered 15 grenades, 15 pipe bombs and 50 pounds of bomb-making ingredients during the initial search of the house. The grenades and pipe bombs were live, police said.
County Executive Ed Mangano described him as a “potential madman,” and neighbors interviewed by police said Ringel appeared “troubled.”
Ringel has one prior conviction for criminal contempt of court for a domestic incident in another state, officials said.
-With Associated Press
