Racine police say a 33-year-old man is facing almost 50 years in prison for dealing cocaine out of a local tavern and at least two locations. The drug charges come just one day after he was in court for allegedly punching a female relative in the head so hard that she suffered brain damage.
Armando Hurtado, of Racine, was charged Friday in Racine County Circuit Court with one felony count of cocaine possession with the intent to deliver and two felony counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place. If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 47 years in prison and/or up to $120,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint, Hurtado’s drug activity had been under investigation for some time for distributing “large amounts” of cocaine in both Racine and Milwaukee. Detectives believed he used a local bar as a primary trafficking location as well as for illegal, high stakes card games. Hurtado was also suspected of maintaining at least two residences as stash houses.
On May 26, officers say they executed a search warrant on both of Hurtado’s residences and his vehicles after detaining him during a traffic stop. Police found:
- 112.9 grams of cocaine
- A gram scale
- A scale similar to that used by the U.S. Postal Service
- Gambling receipts from two casinos totaling $53,450
- $1,926 in cash
He is also facing felony battery charges after being identified as the man on June 19 who approached a female relative and punched her in the head before fleeing the area. According to that criminal complaint, the woman was discovered bleeding from her ear and unconscious, and she has been hospitalized since.
Hurtado remains in the Racine County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond for the battery case and a $2,500 cash bond for the cocaine case. He will next be in court for both cases July 14 for his preliminary hearings.
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