Felony Charge for Man who Hands Rifle to Dollar Tree Cashier

A 58-year-old Warwick man is facing felony weapons charges after he walked into a North Kingstown Dollar Tree and handed a cashier a gun in a bag on Friday afternoon.

Police said Dimas Pestana, 58, of 132 Potowomut Road, Warwick, walked into the store on Post Road and handed the gun to a cashier in an apparent effort to not raise suspicions.

Instead, it frightened store employees, who called police. 

Pestana reportedly told police he was going to sell the gun at a nearby gun shop, changed his mind, then walked to the Dollar Store to meet up with his girlfriend who was shopping inside -- and had the keys to the locked car. 

With nowhere to put the weapon, he said, he decided to go in the store and leave the gun with an employee to not raise suspicion.

It turns out that Pestana was convicted in 1983 on charges of breaking and entering. He served a six month suspended sentence and six years of probation.

Because of that conviction, police charged Pestana with felony possession of arms as a felon.

He was arraigned in Third Division District Court and released on $1,000 surety bail.

Police secured the rifle and put it in safekeeping.

Police were dispatched to the store at around 2:30 p.m. after an employee called police and said a man walked into the store with what she thought was a shotgun in a bag and gave it to a cashier.

The gun was actually a .22 caliber antique rifle that Pestana was going to sell to Cranston Gun and Coin but decided against at the last minute, leading to the chain of events that landed him a new felony charge - 29 years after his B&E conviction.