Medina man charged with making homemade explosives, illegally possessing loaded pistol

Daniel Ray II

MEDINA – A Medina man whose left hand was badly injured on Aug. 6 from a firework has been charged with making homemade explosives.

Daniel Ray II, 30, was charged today with Criminal Possession of Weapon in the Second Degree (gun) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (explosives).

He was arrested by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and the Medina Police Department. He is being held in Orleans County Jail awaiting CAP Court arraignment.

On Aug. 6, the Orleans County 911 received a call for a “30-year-old male blew hand off with firework, bleeding not controlled” at 5066 Hellert Rd., Medina, which is Ray’s residence.

Orleans County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators, along with the Medina Fire Department Ambulance and the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company, responded to the scene. Ray was found at the location with extensive wounds to his left hand. He was treated at the scene with a tourniquet to stem the flow of heavy blood loss, and then was transported to ECMC in Buffalo and later released, the Major Felony Crime task Force reported today. Ray suffered severe trauma to his left hand with the loss of several fingers, the Task Force reported.

In plain view at the residence on Aug. 6 were bomb-making materials as well as debris from an exploded bomb. Major Felony Crime Task Force investigators were able to obtain a search warrant for the residence and seized the following evidence: three large homemade explosives, numerous bomb-making supplies to include casings, highly explosive powders, fuses and an illegally possessed and loaded 9 mm pistol, the Task Force said in a news release.

The scene was rendered safe by bomb technicians from the following agencies: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Rochester Police Department, ATF in Buffalo and Rochester, and the FBI in Buffalo. Also assisting at the scene was Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

“There was a tremendous amount of coordination and cooperation between all the agencies present at the scene,” the Task Force stated.

Also assisting in the investigation was District Attorney Susan Howard and the NYSDOCCS Office of Special Investigation.