By Gary Dymski
Newsday
WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — A West Hempstead man who when solicited for a donation by a firefighter answered the door with a handgun faces charges of menacing and possession of a dangerous weapon, Nassau County police said Wednesday.
Carl Semencic, 65, of Dogwood Avenue, greeted the volunteer firefighter from the Franklin Square & Munson Fire Department with a black handgun after hearing knocking at his door Tuesday, police said.
The department was conducting its annual door-to-door fund drive, police said, and Semencic opened his door at around 8:30 p.m., displaying a handgun in his left hand.
He then tapped the glass of the front door with the gun, pointing to a sign that said “Do not knock, no peddlers,” police said.
He also told the volunteer to “Go away,” police said.
Afterward, the firefighter notified police, and responding officers arrested Semencic on charges of second-degree menacing and possession of a dangerous weapon.
He was given an appearance ticket and is due to appear at First District Court in Hempstead on Aug. 11, police said.
In an interview with News 12 Long Island, Semencic said: “At no point did I point a gun at anybody, ever in my life.”
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