Long Island Man Charged After Gun Found On Floor Of Hotel Room

ISLANDIA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A Long Island man faces a weapons charge after he allegedly left a semi-automatic rifle in a room at a popular casino hotel.

Suffolk County police said the man "did not intend to use the weapon to cause harm."

Raymond Hansen, 25, of East Patchogue, was arrested Thursday night at Jake's 58 Casino and Hotel on Express Drive North in Islandia.

Police said hotel security was looking into a report of a barking dog in Hansen's room, when they found the gun on the floor and called police.

"What you have here is an AR-15 and you have two magazines," Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said. "It appears that he actually brought the rifle into the hotel under his jacket."

Guests were shocked to hear someone walked into the hotel with a semi-automatic weapon.

"When it's so close to home, 10 minutes away, it kind of scares you about how real this is," Austin Pelissier, of Selden, said.

"It's scary. I don't know how often I'll come here now, to be honest with you," said Barbara Sexton, of Ronkonkoma.

Sini addressed security concerns at the casino and said there's no threat to the public.

"Whenever you have venues that attract large amounts of people, it is hard to entirely control flow and screen everyone appropriately," he said.

Hansen was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Sini said other charges could follow.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)