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Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Lauri Peterson’s son, Josh Waring, is facing criminal charges stemming from an arrest earlier this year including felony possession and the sale of fentanyl.
The 33-year-old former reality star was arrested in January for felony possession and the sale of fentanyl, plus a misdemeanor charge of methamphetamine possession.
Waring, who was on parole for assault and has a lengthy legal history, was recognized by an Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputy from a prior drug arrest when an officer saw Josh in the passenger seat of a vehicle, according to TMZ.
With knowledge of Waring’s history, the officer conducted a random search of the vehicle and allegedly found “drugs right on Josh’s lap.”
Josh Waring was arrested in January for allegedly dealing drugs. Waring was pictured in March 2020 when he was released from prison following a four-year sentenced. His mother, Lauri Peterson, campaigned to get him legal representation while he was incarcerated. She is pictured in 2018.
The deputy then witnessed Josh “brush the drugs onto the car’s floorboard” which were later tested and identified as fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The United States Drug Enforcement Agency listed fentanyl as a Schedule II controlled substance “that is similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent,” and noted two milligrams (less than a grain of salt) of the synthetic opioid can be lethal depending on a person’s body size.
He was reportedly “arrested on the spot,” taken to jail and charged with the sale of fentanyl due to the “amount found” of the lethal drug.
The Center for Disease Control reported overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl) rose 55.6% from January 2020 to 2021 and appear to be the primary driver of the increase in total drug overdose deaths.
Waring was arrested in 2016 for allegedly shooting a man outside a sober living home.
Waring was arrested in 2016 for allegedly shooting a man outside a sober living home. He spent four years behind bars awaiting trial before he reached a plea deal in March 2020.
(Josh Waring Costa Mesa PD)
LAURI PETERSON’S SON, JOSH WARNING, TAKES PLEA DEAL IN ATTEMPTED MURDER CASE
He spent four years behind bars awaiting trial, and was originally facing 65 years to life in prison before he reached a plea deal in March 2020.
Waring pleaded guilty to felony counts of assault with a firearm, evading a peace officer, two counts of assault, hit-and-run with property damage and battery. He was sentenced to seven years and four months in jail, and released on timed served awaiting trial.
In October 2019, Waring made headlines after he was slashed multiple times by a fellow inmate. He was left bleeding after getting cut several times on his face and chest by the inmate’s razor blade.
At the time, Waring claimed the correctional officers were the ones to blame for the fight and set him up. He also claimed the correction officers were trying to cover up their alleged negligence.
Shortly after his release from prison, Waring sued Orange County, Calif., and two OC Sheriff’s deputies — who were assigned to the men’s jail in Santa Ana — claiming they tried to have him killed out of retaliation.
Josh Waring waits during a hearing in superior court in Santa Ana, CA on Friday, March 6, 2020. Waring, the son of ex-‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star Lauri Peterson, pled guilty to charges related to the shooting of a man outside a sober living home in 2016. He was released from jail for time served.
( (Photo by Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register)
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According to TMZ, which obtained the criminal report from the incident, a correctional officer claimed that, after the attack, Waring told the guards that he knew they were not behind it.
Joel Garson, Waring’s attorney, told Fox News at the time that the guard was lying to cover up the fact that the attacker should not have been out of his cell in the first place, per the jail’s protocol.
In June 2020, Waring was charged with three misdemeanors, including possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia and misrepresenting himself to police.
Nearly one year later in May 2021, Waring was arrested after deputies pulled over someone driving a stolen rental car in the Lake Forest area of Southern California. Waring, a passenger in the vehicle, was charged with possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
He failed to show up for his September 2021 court date and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
