A Long Island man was arraigned Friday, Feb. 18, and charged with threatening to kill his estranged wife at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Glen Oaks last week, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Thomas Saxton, 34, of Baisley Avenue in East Rockaway, appeared before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jeffrey Gershuny and was arraigned on a 14-count criminal complaint charging him with criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a controlled substance and other crimes.
Police from the 105th Precinct in Queens Village responded to the scene and stopped Saxton near his vehicle and allegedly recovered two “ghost guns” in his possession — firearms that do not have serial numbers and can be made of plastic and other untraceable parts, often sold in kits.
According to the charges, it was just after noon on Feb. 17 inside the medical facility when Saxton allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened his estranged wife as she held their 2-year-old child in her arms. Saxton allegedly said that he would kill her in front of all the people there.
Moments later, Saxton walked out of the 76th Avenue facility and then called his wife on the phone. At that point, he allegedly threatened her again, stating that he would kill her in her sleep, according to the criminal complaint.
Police arrived at the scene and found Saxton in the hospital’s parking lot. At that time, the defendant dropped a loaded magazine on the ground, according to Katz. Police recovered a loaded .10mm pistol, a .9mm pistol and ammunition for both firearms from the defendant. Police also allegedly found a plastic bag containing cocaine in Saxton’s wallet.
Police then obtained and later executed a search warrant of his Nassau County residence, where they found a cache of weapons and ammunition. Law enforcement sources said police found within Saxton’s home nine ghost handguns, four shotguns, two rifles, two bulletproof vests, 50 extended magazines and 1,000 rounds of ammunition. There were also several other gun parts and accessories recovered.
“This defendant allegedly threatened to shoot his wife in a hospital that specializes in treating children,” Katz said. “This potentially deadly threat was made all the more frightening when police found illegal and untraceable firearms on the defendant. This growing prevalence of “ghost guns” is adding to the chaos and bloodshed in our neighborhoods. My office will continue to do everything possible to stop the flow of these illegal firearms. The defendant has been apprehended and now faces very serious charges.”
Judge Gershuny set Saxton’s return date for Feb. 22. Saxton faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
