RIKERS ISLAND— A Rikers Island correction officer was arrested Wednesday after a routine check revealed he was trying to sneak in a folding knife inside the jail complex and had two additional knives in his locker, officials said.
A 4-inch blade knife was discovered when Angelo Martinez, 51, was asked to place his small duffel bag in a X-ray screening machine as he was about to start his shift around 3 p.m. Wednesday, a Department of Investigation spokeswoman said.
Martinez, who has been working as a correction officer since 2007, was on his way to the Anna M. Kross Center which houses roughly 3,000 male inmates as well as a mental health center and a Methadone Detoxification Unit, when the knife was discovered, officials said.
Martinez said he had forgotten about the knife being in his bag and immediately asked the screening agent if he could put it back inside his locker once it was found, but he was asked to hand over the knife and his work ID instead, according to the criminal complaint.
Additionally, security surveillance footage showed Martinez had previously removed a second 4-inch blade knife from his bag, hiding it in his hand before placing it in his locker.
The lockers are located just before the jail’s entrance and while officers are allowed to stow their guns there, knives are prohibited, officials said.
When officials searched Martinez’s locker, they also found a third knife with a two-inch blade, authorities said.
Martinez, who lives in Middle Village and makes over $76,000 a year, was suspended without pay, DOI official said.
He was arraigned on Thursday evening and charged with three counts of Promoting Prison Contraband in the First Degree, court documents show.
DOI Commissioner Mark G. Peters applauded the arrest.
“That we were able to quickly find and confiscate these dangerous items is a testament to DOC’s adoption of DOI’s recommendation for better staff screening at jail entrances. I commend DOC’s expeditious response and reporting to DOI — together we were able to stop a situation that seriously jeopardized jail safety, ” the commissioner said.
