Current:Home > reviewsFastexy:Police in suburban New York county make first arrest under local law banning face masks -MoneyStream
Fastexy:Police in suburban New York county make first arrest under local law banning face masks
Charles H. Sloan View
Date:2025-04-11 06:34:20
A teenager was arrested in New York's suburban Nassau County over the weekend and Fastexycharged with wearing a face covering to conceal his identity in public, making it the first arrest under the county's new law banning face masks.
Wesslin Omar Ramirez Castillo, 18, of Hicksville, was arrested on Sunday after officers responded to "reports of a suspicious male wearing a mask to conceal his identity," the Nassau County Police Department said in a news release Wednesday. Police said the incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. in Levittown, a hamlet in Nassau County.
"Upon further investigation, (Ramirez Castillo) continued to display suspicious behavior while attempting to conceal a large bulge in his waistband which turned out to be a 14” knife," the Nassau County Police Department said. "Defendant Ramirez Castillo refused to comply with officers commands as he was placed under arrest without further incident."
Ramirez Castillo was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, obstructing governmental administration, and violating the county's mask ban, known as the Mask Transparency Act, according to police. He was arraigned Monday at First District Court in Hempstead.
During a news conference Wednesday, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Ramirez Castillo allegedly told police that he was told to wear the mask and was provided a knife to commit a robbery.
"This individual in himself was not suspicious," Ryder said at the news conference. "The fact that he was wearing that mask is why the call came in, (that's) why it was suspicious."
Ramirez Castillo is the first to be arrested and charged with wearing a face covering in public since the controversial mask ban was passed by the county’s Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month. The law criminalizes wearing face masks to hide identities in public spaces except in cases for medical, religious, or cultural purposes.
Masks are key tool against COVID-19.Should they be banned for war protesters?
Mask ban a 'tool' to combat crime, county official says
Nassau County legislators approved the Mask Transparency Act on August 5 with all 12 Republicans in the legislature voting in its favor and seven Democrats abstaining. The ban took effect immediately after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed it into law on August 14.
Republican legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip introduced the bill after concerns grew over alleged antisemitic incidents committed at protests across the country, including a wave of demonstrations in response to the Israel-Hamas war at college campuses. The U.S. has also seen a surge in Islamophobia, anti-Muslim, and antisemitic incidents since the start of the war last year.
Local officials have said the mask ban is a public safety measure, targeting people who commit crimes while wearing a mask to hide their identity.
"If we don't give our police officers the tools necessary to combat crime, someone with a knife like this could potentially kill somebody," Blakeman said at Wednesday's news conference.
Those who violate the law face a misdemeanor that can be punished with up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. The law allows law enforcement officials to require the removal of a mask during traffic stops or "when the officer has reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and/or intention to partake in criminal activity."
Mask ban challenged in federal court
Civil rights advocates and state officials have criticized the ban, saying the law infringes on free speech rights and compromises the safety of protesters and the health of local communities.
"Nassau County’s mask ban is a dangerous misuse of the law to score political points and target protestors," Susan Gottehrer, Nassau County regional director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement earlier this month. "Barring people who speak out from protecting themselves and their identities puts their health and well-being in danger, particularly people with disabilities, people of color, and those with unpopular views."
The ban has also been challenged in federal court. A lawsuit, filed last week by the advocacy group Disability Rights New York, is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop enforcing the mask ban.
Disability Rights New York said the ban discriminates against people with disabilities and violates the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act. "This mask ban poses a direct threat to public health and discriminates against people with disabilities," Timothy Clune, executive director of Disability Rights New York, said in a statement.
Contributing: Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- On Long Island, Republicans defend an unlikely stronghold as races could tip control of Congress
- 'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
- The AI doom loop is real. How can we harness its strength? | The Excerpt
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Helicopter crash at a military base in Alabama kills 1 and injures another, county coroner says
- Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
- Watch: 5 things you need to do before your next trip
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- McDonald's taps into nostalgia with collectible cup drop. See some of the designs.
Ranking
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Olympics track highlights: Quincy Hall wins gold in 400, Noah Lyles to 200 final
- $5.99 Drugstore Filter Makeup That Works Just as Good as High-End Versions
- Eva Mendes Shares Message of Gratitude to Olympics for Keeping Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids Private
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Immigration issues sorted, Guatemala runner Luis Grijalva can now focus solely on sports
- New York City plaques honoring author Anaïs Nin and rock venue Fillmore East stolen for scrap metal
- Jay Kanter, veteran Hollywood producer and Marlon Brando agent, dies at 97: Reports
Recommendation
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
Man charged with murder in death of beloved Detroit-area neurosurgeon
Olympics track highlights: Quincy Hall wins gold in 400, Noah Lyles to 200 final
Texas school tried to ban all black attire over mental-health concerns. Now it's on hold.
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
TikToker Nara Smith Addresses Hateful Criticism She and Husband Lucky Blue Smith Have Received
Colin Farrell Details Son James' Battle With Rare Neurogenetic Disorder
Video shows dog chewing cellphone battery pack, igniting fire in Oklahoma home