Charges Filed Against Second Man in Drug Deal Gone Bad

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published January 18, 2018 11:10 am
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CLARION BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — A second man has been charged with several felonies after allegedly beating up a Clarion man during a failed drug deal.

According to court documents, criminal charges were filed against 26-year-old Christopher Jay Magusiak, of Ellwood City (pictured above).

Clarion Borough Police Chief William H. Peck IV filed a criminal complaint against Magusiak on Wednesday, January 17, in District Judge Duane Quinn’s office on the following charges:

– Robbery-Inflict Serious Bodily Injury, Felony 1
– Conspiracy-Robbery-Inflict Serious Bodily Injury, Felony 1
– Robbery-Inflict Threat Immediate Bodily Injury, Felony 1
– Conspiracy-Robbery-Inflict Threat Immediate Bodily Injury, Felony 1
– Robbery-Take Property From Other By Force, Felony 1
– Conspiracy-Robbery-Take Property From Other By Force, Felony 1
– Aggravated Assault, Felony 1
– Conspiracy-Aggravated Assault, Felony 1
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Conspiracy-Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– Conspiracy-Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– Theft by Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 3
– Conspiracy-Theft by Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 3

Magusiak is currently lodged in the Clarion County Jail.

Court documents indicate the case is awaiting a preliminary hearing.

Case details:

According to the criminal complaint, William H. Peck IV, Peck and Officers Kemmer and Zerfoss were called around 9:05 a.m. on Wednesday, January 10, to assist Clarion County Adult Probation at a residence at 35 South 5th Avenue. Probation officers said they had detained Tiffany Wolfe on an outstanding warrant from probation since November 2017 after they learned she was staying at Brooke Reed’s apartment.

When officers knocked, they could hear noise from inside and then realized three people had fled the back of the residence from an exterior door off the kitchen area.

The probation officer noticed boxes that had been placed in front of the rear door and alleged that Reed, who is also on probation, placed the boxes there to make it appear as if no one left through the back door.

The probation officers detained Wolfe near the Clarion Volunteer Fire Department. When Chief Peck talked to Wolfe, she identified the other two people as Jesse Slater and a man she knows as CJ, later identified as Christopher J. Magusiak.

Wolfe said Magusiak has a warrant for his arrest after he walked away from a halfway house while on state parole.

Slater is also on state parole.

Borough police officers and other law enforcement searched the area but didn’t find the men. Wolfe then said they may have gone to an apartment at 49 South 5th Avenue, which is occupied by Megan Deloe who is also on state parole.

When Chief Peck asked Wolfe why the two men ran, she said they had beat up a known man “pretty bad” Tuesday night.

Wolfe said that early Tuesday evening, she set up a drug buy with the known man to buy methamphetamine from him. She stated that she along with Slater and Magusiak met the known man on Boundary Street near the elementary school.

Wolfe said she gave the known man the money, and he was going to go to Penn Court Apartments to get the meth; but, he never returned and “ripped” her off, according to Wolfe.

Wolfe said that later, she set up another drug buy with the known man to get marijuana. Wolfe said she didn’t go, but sent Slater and Magusiak to meet the known man. Wolfe admitted the intent wasn’t to buy marijuana and that they were going to take the drug from the known man. Wolfe said both men lured the known man into a dark area and after they jumped him, then they realized the bag of weed was fake, and they beat the known man some more, according to the complaint.

At 12:11 p.m. on Wednesday, state parole agents went to Megan Deloe’s residence and spoke with her and Magusiak. The state parole agents made a sweep of the apartment and found a marijuana pipe in the back bedroom windowsill. Both Deloe and Magusiak were detained, the complaint states.

Magusiak was placed in the back of a Clarion Borough Police cruiser, and when Chief Peck read him his rights and attempted to speak with him about the assault, he initially declined. But, when Chief Peck started to walk away, Magusiak yelled out to him. He then told Chief Peck about the failed deal to buy methamphetamine and the arrangement to buy marijuana from the known man; however, he said that he walked away prior to the deal and had nothing to do with the assault, according to the complaint.

Magusiak said he bought a blunt at the UK store and returned to Reed’s apartment. He claimed he never hit or struck anyone. Magusiak was then taken to the Clarion Borough Police Department and detained on his active probation warrant, the complaint indicates.

Later, around 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, State Trooper Allison and Chief Peck went to the Clarion Township apartment of the known man who was assaulted. Chief Peck said he saw numerous injuries to his face and head, including some that had bad swelling and bruising. The victim said he was jumped by two unknown people, but when Chief Peck said he already knew the truth, the victim admitted to ripping off Wolfe on the meth deal.

The victim then said that after Wolfe had contacted him to buy marijuana, he went to the area near the UK store to meet them. Wolfe had not shown up, but the two men who were with her for the meth buy were there.

The victim said he and the two men then walked to the rear parking lot of the Clarion University Police Department. When the victim asked Slater and Magusiak if they had the money, they said they did. The victim then said Magusiak punched him in the face, and he grabbed the phone from him. The victim said both men asked him about the money, and Slater took his wallet from him, looking for money, according to the complaint.

The victim said both men punched and kicked him repeatedly. Then, Magusiak took the bag of suspected weed from the victim, and he said he told them the bag had kitchen seasoning in it. When Magusiak realized the bag didn’t have marijuana in it, he and Slater kicked and punched the victim repeatedly, the complaint states.

The victim said that after the assault stopped and both men walked away, he picked up his wallet and then saw Magusiak’s photo ID laying on the ground. He picked it up and gave it to a female Clarion University Police Officer when he reported the assault.

Chief Peck then took the victim to Clarion Hospital for treatment. After being treated, the victim then signed a release for Chief Peck to get his medical records. The victim said he had a broken nose, and Chief Peck took several photos of his injuries.

Chief Peck said he returned to the department and read Magusiak his rights again, and Magusiak agreed to an interview. Magusiak admitted the second meeting was for the marijuana that they didn’t intend to pay for, and he admitted to kicking and hitting the victim before and after he found out the marijuana was fake, according to the complaint.

On Thursday, January 11, state parole agents brought Slater to the Clarion Borough Police Department and after he was read his rights, he agreed to an interview with Chief Peck.

Slater admitted that Wolfe fronted money to the known man (the victim) earlier for the meth buy and he took it and never returned. He also admitted the second buy for marijuana and Wolfe gave money to Magusiak to buy it. Slater said he and Magusiak then met the known man in the alleyway behind the UK store at Main Street and 8th Avenue before walking on to the Clarion University campus, the complaint states.

The known man (the victim) asked both men if Wolfe had sent them to meet him instead of her. The known man said he was in a hurry and asked if they had the money. Slater said that Magusiak punched the known man and then he punched and kicked the known man. Slater said that the known man then handed over his wallet to him and when he looked through it, he found there was nothing in it, the complaint indicates.

Slater also said that Magusiak took the bag from the known man and was looking at it under a light. Magusiak then walked over to Slater and told him to take a look at this (expletive). Slater said that Magusiak then began to hit and kick the known man again and he also joined in because the known man tried to sell them fake marijuana, according to the complaint.

Chief Peck then asked Slater where the known man’s cell phone was and he said Magusiak had it and tossed it in the snow on the side of the building next to where the old Starbucks was located on campus.

When Officer Kemmer looked for the phone, she couldn’t find it, but an employee approached her and asked if she was looking for a phone. The employee said she had found it and turned it over to the staff at Eagle Commons. Officer Kemmer retrieved the phone and logged it into evidence.

Court documents indicate that 29-year-old Jesse James Slater, of Oil City and formerly of Leeper, is also facing the same charges as his co-conspirator, Magusiask.

He is lodged in the Clarion County Jail on $15,000.00 cash bail.

jesse-slater

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