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City Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Charges

WARREN, Pa. — A Jamestown man has pleaded guilty to charges of selling methamphetamine in Warren County in 2016.

Armando Rosario, 36, pled on Thursday before Judge Gregory Hammond to possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communications facility.

Two additional counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of red phosphorus, etc. with intent to manufacture controlled substances and criminal use of a communications facility were not prosecuted in exchange for the plea.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Warren County Drug Task Force agents made arrangements to purchase one gram of methamphetamine from Rosario on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. The controlled buy resulted in two baggies of what appeared to be, and tested positive as crystal methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.

Investigators made arrangements for another controlled buy, on Monday, Nov. 14, during which they were able to again purchase methamphetamine from Rosario.

On November 27, 2016, while investigating a report of a methamphetamine lab at 6 Terrace St. in Warren, investigators found a receipt from the Dollar General Store in Clarendon that showed a purchase of cold compresses, which contained ammonium nitrate, a substance used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.

Further investigation of that store’s security footage showed Rosario purchasing cold compresses at the date and time listed on the receipt.

Bail was initially set at $50,000 and a bail reduction hearing in January 2016 revealed sexual misconduct charges, a weapons violation and multiple other drug offenses in his record.

Online court records indicate that bail was changes to a nominal type – $1.00 – in August 2017.

It was revoked in April 2018 after Rosario failed to appear for plea court.

Rosario was the subject of a traffic stop in Lakewood in which he allegedly falsified his name and birth date before running away as officers were trying to find his true identity. A New York State Police K-9 unit helped Lakewood-Busti police find Rosario, who was then taken to UPMC Chautauqua for his injuries. He was found to be wanted in Warren County, Pa., and had a valid order of protection to stay away from a protected party he was found with at the time of the stop. Online court records indicate Rosario had been incarcerated at the Warren County Jail since October 2018.

Hammond advised Rosario on Thursday that the maximum penalties for the two charges total 17 years in prison and fines of up to $115,000.

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