Charles Rodriguez, of Oceanside, assaulted two cops, official says

An Oceanside man was ordered held without bail at arraignment Sunday on charges he assaulted two officers during an arrest and possessed drugs with an intent to sell, according to a court official.

Charles Rodriguez, 33, faces 10 felony counts and two misdemeanors, according to court records. His arraignment was heard by Nassau District Court Judge Joseph Girardi on Sunday.

Nassau County police, in their felony complaint statements, said Rodriguez tried to grab a police officer’s gun and another officer’s baton during his arrest Friday night in Long Beach. The complaints also said he resisted being handcuffed and swung his arms “violently and kicking to try to break free from officers.” He told officers he tried to run because he is on parole, according to the police statements.

An attorney for Rodriguez was not identified Sunday in court records.

Nassau police said two officers stopped a 2011 Nissan Altima on Austin Boulevard, near California Place North, about 10 p.m. During the stop, the officers discovered a plastic bag of marijuana. Rodriguez, of Kenneth Place, Oceanside, was a front-seat passenger in the Nissan, police said.

The officers searched Rodriguez outside the vehicle and found a 4-inch gravity knife in his front pants pocket. Gravity knives are illegal to carry in New York State.

According to one felony complaint, he told a detective: “That’s not a gravity knife that I had on me, I use it for work. I only went to run because I’m on parole and will have to do 16 months, plus 20 days.”

He had been convicted on Nov. 21, 2012, in Nassau County court of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, according to the complaint.

Police said Rodriguez resisted arrest and tried to grab one officer’s gun from its holster and the other’s baton. One officer used her expandable baton when he resisted arrest. The other officer said he “wrestled violently” with Rodriguez, trying to place him in handcuffs. At one point, Rodriguez grabbed an officer’s gun and attempted to take it from the holster.

Additional officers responded to arrest Rodriguez.

The two officers — identified in court records only as Officers Macaro and Spolidora — were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released.

The Nissan’s driver, Adriana Cacioppo, 21, of 400 Hewlett Pkwy., Hewlett, and two other passengers — Francesca Delfino, 19, of 3630 Mahlon Browere Dr., Oceanside, and Victoria Daniels, 22, of 54 Conklin Ave., Woodmere — remained inside the car. Police said they arrested the three after a search of the car revealed three bags of heroin, a hypodermic needle, cocaine and a hallucinogen.

Rodriguez was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, fourth-, fifth- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, four counts of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of second-degree attempted robbery and resisting arrest.

Police charged Cacioppo, Daniels and Delfino with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

With Scott Eidler

By David M. Schwartz

dschwar1@newsday.comschwartznewsNY

David Schwartz covers environmental issues. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.