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On Long Island, Nassau County Police were called about a suspicious person in Levittown who was walking along Spindle Road shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25.
Officers arrived to find 18-year-old Wesslin Omar Ramirez-Castillo, of Hicksville, dressed in black and wearing a face mask, police said.
The officer said the teen displayed “suspicious” behavior while attempting to conceal a large bulge in his waistband. That object turned out to be a 14-inch knife.
Ramirez-Castillo initially refused to comply with the officer’s commands but was eventually placed under arrest.
He is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, obstructing governmental administration, and violating Nassau County’s “Mask Transparency Act,” which was signed into law by Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
The bill makes it a misdemeanor for anyone 16 and older to wear a face mask in public spaces in the county. It also gives private businesses the right to prohibit masks on their premises.
It grants exceptions for health or religious reasons, though that distinction will be determined by Nassau County Police.
Violators could face up to a $1,000 fine and/or a year in jail.
On Thursday, Aug. 22, Disability Rights of New York filed a class action lawsuit against Nassau County alleging the ban violates federal law and discriminates against people with disabilities.
In a statement to NBC News, Blakeman said he was confident the bill would withstand legal challenge “as there is a presumption of constitutionality when the legislature acts, and this legislature is reasonable and responsible.”
Ramirez-Castillo was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead on Monday, Aug. 26.
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