Cops: Sag Harbor man illegally possessed modified rifle

A Sag Harbor man faces a felony charge of criminal possession of a weapon after being found with a rifle whose barrel was modified with a silencer, Southampton Town police said Monday.

Police arrested Jameson S. Ellis, 45, at about 8:35 a.m. Sunday after he was stopped driving with an expired inspection sticker on Main Street in Sagaponack, according to a department news release.

They saw the rifle in the back of Ellis' vehicle, and the modification -- recognized by police because of the size of the barrel -- violates state law, a police spokesman said.

Police said they believe the weapon was being used for hunting.

In addition to a charge of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class D felony, Ellis is charged with a misdemeanor of the state's Environmental Conservation law, which prohibits the use of a rifle for hunting on Long Island, police said in the release.

He also is charged with driving an uninspected motor vehicle.

Ellis' arraignment information was not immediately available.