KNOX — Edward J. Reis of Knox has been arrested on multiple weapons charges. The 43-year-old had a stockpile of firearms, grenades, explosives, and materials to make bombs in his Lewis Road home, police say.

He was finally detained after a phone call with a crisis negotiator while inside an East Greenbush motel, according to a release from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.

On Sunday, Nov. 5, the sheriff’s office received a call at 1:30 p.m. for an emotionally disturbed person at 134 Lewis Road, said Sheriff’s Investigator J. T. Campbell. The sheriff’s office found that Reis had sent a text to a woman stating “he wanted to go to Arizona and euthanize himself.” It was not known where Reis was at that time.

According to the Albany County assessment rolls, Edward J. Reis and Chandra T. Reis live at 134 Lewis Road in Knox. Campbell said that Reis is unemployed.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived around 1:40 p.m., said Campbell, and observed firearms and explosives in his home, and returned with a search warrant around 8:30 to 9 p.m. when they found a room in the house containing many weapons as well as a forged New York State pistol permit, according to the release.

Campbell said Reis had around 20 firearms including black powder rifles, a glock handgun, and a sawed off AR-15 rifle, as well as high-capacity rifle and handgun magazines and high-powered rounds, stun guns, throwing stars, batons, tear gas, fireworks, detonators, books with instructions on ammunitions and making bombs, a bullet-proof vest, a night-vision monocular, grenades and a grenade launcher, and materials commonly used to make explosive devices.

The State Police Bomb Disposal Unit assisted in removing the explosives. Campbell said police currently don’t know how or when Reis obtained these weapons.

On Sunday afternoon, surrounding police agencies began to search for Reis, said Campbell. Over the course of the evening, authorities located Reis in the East Greenbush area. Around 11 p.m., the sheriff’s office, the Town of East Greenbush Police Department, and New York State Police discovered that Reis was in a motel on Columbia Turnpike in East Greenbush in Rensselaer County.

Campbell reached Reis on a cell phone and spoke with him for about 10 or 20 minutes, Campbell said.

“He was clearly despondent … ,” said Campbell. “We were just talking general stuff … just day-to-day life.”

Campbell said he could not comment on the mental-health status of Reis.

Reis eventually agreed to leave his room and turned himself in. He was in custody at 1:07 a.m., said Campbell. A loaded AR-15 rifle was found on the bed inside his motel room.

Reis was taken to Albany County’s jail without bail, and is to be arraigned in Knox Town Court on Monday. He is charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a firearm, both felonies; and with five counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, unlawfully possessing or selling noxious material, and possession of fireworks, all misdemeanors. Police are still investigating the case, said Campbell.

    Updated on Nov. 6, 2017, adding information about the arrest from Sheriff's Investigator J.T. Campbell.