Rochester Man Admits to Dealing Drugs as a Fugitive

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A convicted Rochester drug dealer is scheduled to be sentenced in April for another drug conviction. 33-year-old Angel Castellanos today pleaded guilty to three felony charges involving the sale and possession of illegal drugs. A fourth charge involving the storage of meth paraphernalia in the presence of a child or vulnerable person was dropped as part of a plea agreement.

Castellanos’ arrest last October attracted quite a bit of attention because he had been a fugitive from the Minnesota Department of Correction several months. He had been sentenced to 7 years in prison last year for an earlier drug conviction but was allowed to enter a special state program for drug offenders and people convicted of nonviolent crimes that allows them to spend time in a “boot camp” style halfway house while pursuing jobs. While enrolled in the program, he fled from the halfway house and living as fugitive at a residence in southeast Rochester.

The charges covered by the plea agreement finalized today involve drug sales that occurred during the time he was on the run, including sales to a police informant.