A Riverhead man is facing a felony weapons charge for possessing a gravity knife in an incident on Railroad Avenue a week and a half ago.
Police said Anthony Wayne Smith, 56, was found in possession of a knife on Railroad Avenue April 26. Police said they later determined the knife to be classified as a “gravity knife,” which is illegal under the state penal law. Police said they arrested Smith on Railroad Avenue today at 12:22 p.m.
According to N.Y. penal law, a gravity knife is “any knife which has a blade which is released from the handle or sheath thereof by the force of gravity or the application of centrifugal force which, when released, is locked in place by means of a button, spring, lever or other device.”
Because of his prior felony conviction, Smith was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, police said. Criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree is a class D felony.
Smith was arraigned and remanded without bail to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverside, according to the report.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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