By Nathan Duke
A 56−year−old Bayside man was arrested after police discovered a cache of weapons and an assortment of drugs in his Corporal Kennedy Street home, the Queens district attorney said.
Ioannis Glezelis, of 28−61 Corporal Kennedy St. in Bayside, was arraigned last week before Queens Supreme Court Justice Lenora Gerald on numerous counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal sale of a firearm, Queens DA Richard Brown said.
The defendant, held on $250,000 bail, could face up to 25 years if convicted on the most serious charge, Brown said.
Police recovered an arsenal of weapons from Glezelis’ home at the time of his arrest, including three Mac−11 9mm automatic guns with silencers, two .380−caliber semi−automatic handguns, two .45−caliber black powder pistols, a .44−caliber Magnum handgun, two revolvers, a 12−gauge shotgun and 1,000 rounds of ammunition, the DA said.
In addition, officers allegedly discovered a quantity of pills in the defendant’s home and car, such as Xanax, Vicodin and Oxycontin, Brown said.
A longtime resident on Glezelis’ block who would not give her name said the entire street was shocked about her neighbor’s arrest.
“They always say the same thing — he was a nice guy,” she said. “He always seemed fine to me. I think there are other things in his life we were not privy to. He was always pleasant and helpful. I don’t think the man was going to hurt anybody.”
Glezelis, scheduled to return to court this week, drew the attention of police May 6 after he flew through a red light at the corner of the Clearview Expressway and 35th Avenue in Bayside around 9:50 a.m., according to the criminal complaint.
Police pulled the defendant over and searched his 2008 Mercedes−Benz, in which they found nine hydrocodone pills in its driver’s side door, the DA said.
Law enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s home based on the incident and, shortly thereafter, searched his Bayside home, Brown said. Police discovered 13 more pills in a desk in the living room of Glezelis’ first−floor, he said.
As they searched the house, officers found various weapons in the rear bedroom of the home as well as in a storage area underneath the basement steps and in a garage attached to the house, the DA said.
According to the criminal complaint, Glezelis allegedly told investigators that “the three guns in the bedroom are mine.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.
