Mount Pleasant Township police and parole agents arrested Dante Sunseri on Aug. 12 at a property on Southview Road in McDonald.[1] Officers said they were checking Sunseri, 42, because he had failed drug tests while on parole.[2] Police said Sunseri is on parole for multiple felony offenses in Colorado, including kidnapping and sexual assault.[1] While taking him into custody, officers said activity indicated he may have been trying to destroy evidence inside a barn.[1]
A compliance check by agents allegedly uncovered evidence of marijuana manufacturing and distribution, prompting police to obtain a search warrant.[1] The warrant was executed at the Southview Road property with help from the Pennsylvania State Police and the Washington County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force.[1] Police said the search of the four-story barn, fitted with multiple grow rooms to produce large quantities of marijuana, required three truckloads to remove the evidence.[1] Investigators reported hundreds of planters, grow lamps, hydroponic systems, furnace and exhaust systems, scales and filtration equipment, along with a large amount of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia.[1] Officers also recovered nine firearms of multiple calibers and ammunition, which Sunseri is prohibited from possessing.[1]
Sunseri was charged with felony possession of a prohibited firearm and delivery or possession with intent to deliver, plus a misdemeanor count of drug-paraphernalia possession.[2] Police said the investigation remains ongoing.[1]
