Suffolk County correction officer arrested in sex abuse case, DA's office says 

A Suffolk correction officer with a pending sexual abuse case in South Carolina is expected to be arraigned Friday on charges of sexually abusing a child on Long Island, authorities said.

Robert Weis, 55, of Hampton Bays, was charged with first-degree course of sexual conduct against a young victim, a male, and three counts of criminal possession of a firearm, all felonies, officials in Suffolk said. His arrest and the seizure of three unregistered guns from his home Thursday came after the alleged victim contacted police this year, setting off an investigation by Southampton Town police and the Suffolk County district attorney's office, according to the district attorney's spokeswoman, Sheila Kelly.

Details on the cases in Suffolk and South Carolina were not immediately available Thursday night. District Attorney TImothy Sini and police plan to hold a news conference Friday after the arraignment at Southampton Town Justice Court.

Weis, who has been with the Suffolk County Sheriff's office for more than 20 years, was arrested Thursday on his way to work and will be notified of his suspension Friday, said Chief Deputy Sheriff Michael Sharkey. Both Sharkey and Kelly said the case is unrelated to Weis' work. 

 "This person has disgraced the uniform and oath the men and women of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office have taken," Sheriff Errol Toulon said in a statement, "and I am seeking his termination immediately."  

Weis had been on modified duty in the supplies and uniform section at the Yaphank jail since mid-2016, when he was arrested and taken to Columbia, South Carolina, to face charges of sexual abuse of a child, Sharkey said. He was stripped of his weapon at work, he said.

"He has no contact with the public or with any inmate," Sharkey said. 

After Weis was released on bond by South Carolina authorities, Sharkey said, the sheriff's office suspended him without pay for 30 days, the maximum period. Weis also turned over several guns as ordered, so he should not have been in possession of any firearms, the chief deputy sheriff said.

Southampton Town police ask anyone with information to contact detectives at 631-702-2230.