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Man charged with selling drugs to woman who OD’d

A woman’s overdose Saturday resulted in drug sale charges for a Cranberry Township man, and police said he planned to exchange the drugs for explicit acts.

Police said 9 grams of suspected cocaine and paraphernalia were found in his room following the incident.

John F. Gilliland, 49, was charged with felonies drug sales and criminal use of a communication facility as well as a misdemeanor count of use and possession of paraphernalia.

According to the affidavit, police responded to the Residence Inn Hotel in Cranberry around 5 p.m. for report of a 31-year-old female who overdosed. She was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital and determined to be in critical condition.

A witness told police the woman had been in contact with a resident of the hotel, later identified as Gilliland, on Friday. Gilliland allegedly sent an Uber to bring the witness and the woman to the hotel, police said.

Messages exchanged between the woman and Gilliland show Gilliland offering the use of crack cocaine for the exchange of sexual acts, according to documents. Police said photos of the narcotics were uncovered from the messages as well.

The witness told officers that following the woman’s overdose, Gilliland collected paraphernalia and narcotics from throughout her hotel room and placed them outside the window in a bag. Police found a large number of used and new syringes, marijuana and crack cocaine pipes, spoons, straws and Naloxone inside the bag.

Inside Gilliland’s hotel room, police also found large amounts of drug paraphernalia, including the suspected cocaine.

When questioned by police, Gilliland claimed to use marijuana and crack cocaine, but denied giving any to the woman.

Gilliland is being held in Butler County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail. His preliminary hearing before District Judge Kevin Flaherty is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10.

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