Hidden guns lead to arrest of man on probation in Lindenhurst, police say

A Lindenhurst man was arrested on Friday after police discovered nearly two dozen illegal guns hidden at his home during a probation check, Suffolk police said.

Police found the weapons at 54-year-old Todd Pinnell's home around 7:10 p.m. on Friday. The search was a condition of Pinnell's probation, according to a police department news release. A police spokesperson told Newsday the prior convictions "were also weapons charges." 

In court on Saturday, prosecutors said Pinnell was previously convicted of misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon in 2023.

The Lindenhurst resident had a stash of 22 guns, including 14 handguns and eight assault rifles, hidden behind a "false wall" in a basement closet, officials said. Police also found multiple ammunition feeding devices, according to the new release.

At least four of those weapons are ghost guns — weapons without serial numbers — according to charging documents obtained by Newsday.

Pinnell was charged with 47 felonies. They include 25 counts of criminal possession of a weapon, 15 counts of criminal possession of a firearm and charges for possession of an ammunition feeding device.

Pinnell was held in jail overnight and was arraigned in Central Islip's First District Court on Saturday.

Pinnell's attorney, Anthony Grandinette, told the court on Saturday that Pinnell attended college in California before moving to Long Island in 2006, and that he has "been steadily employed in the security field with an expertise in fire management" for the last ten years.

Grandinette described his client as a gun "collector, he's a gun enthusiast and he's a range shooter." 

"His entire life with his grandfather, his father and his brother, he was involved with firearms in a legal capacity," Grandinette said, adding that Pinnell "has no criminal record other than" the 2023 misdemeanor arrest.

The defense attorney also argued that Pinnell presented no threat to others because of where and how the guns were located.

"[The guns were] recovered in a basement, behind a wall, not one of these weapons was loaded," he said. "Obviously, all that tells you is that there was absolutely no intent in this case to use any of the firearms that were recovered."

Judge Alonzo Jacobs ultimately set Pinnell's bail at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond, which was what prosecutors requested and more than double the amount Grandinette asked the judge to impose.

"I have to look at a number of factors, [such as] danger to the community," the judge said before ruling. "The number of weapons found could almost be said to be shocking to the conscience."