The county Prosecutor’s Office and Hightstown police arrested eight suspected drug dealers at Hightstown High School last week. They will face trial in juvenile court.
By: T.J. Furman
Eight boys were arrested at Hightstown High School last week and charged with various drug offenses the end result of a four-month investigation by the Hightstown Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
The eight Hightstown High students, all between the ages of 15 and 17, are friends and formed a "loose federation" of marijuana dealers, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Daniel G. Giaquinto.
"This investigation is meant to send a message to all students that law enforcement takes seriously the war on drugs," Mr. Giaquinto said in a press conference at the Hightstown Borough Municipal Building the afternoon of May 11. "It’s a challenge, but a challenge that we readily accept."
The suspects, who were not identified because they are juveniles, were arrested Friday, May 11, on a variety of charges, including drug possession and distribution, and possession and distribution in a school zone. One of the students also faces a weapons charge for having a large folding knife in his possession at the time of his arrest.
All of the arrested students spent at least one or two days at the Mercer County Youth Detention Center in Ewing, according to Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio. As of Thursday morning, one of them was still in the detention center on an unrelated matter, Ms. DeBlasio said. Those released were turned over to the custody of their parents or legal guardians.
The alleged drug dealers have all had a detention hearing before a juvenile court with their next appearances slated for sometime in June. Mr. Giaquinto said the cases will be handled by the juvenile court system.
Officials said undercover officers from the Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit and the Hightstown Police Department made 13 separate purchases from the suspects. Authorities said 10 of those purchases took place on school grounds and that all of the purchases were arranged on school property. None of the transactions took place inside of the school building.
The officers purchased marijuana in 12 of the transactions. The remaining purchase was Ritalin, which was passed off as cocaine by the dealer, according to police. Ritalin is a drug prescribed for individuals, usually children, who have an abnormally high level of activity or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The arrests took place between 8 and 9 a.m. May 11 in a conference room away from other students in the high school, interim borough Police Chief Sgt. James Eufemia said. School officials escorted the students from their classes to the conference room.
Mr. Giaquinto said his office was not looking for any particular narcotic when it initiated its investigation in January.
"The good news is that despite our best efforts, we were only able to obtain marijuana," Mr. Giaquinto said. He added that the marijuana obtained was "generally" in small amounts.
Chief School Administrator Dr. David Witmer spoke at last week’s news conference as well, thanking both the Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office for their work.
"We are very much concerned with this situation," Dr. Witmer said. "If these allegations are correct, we are saddened because these students have made some bad choices."
Dr. Witmer pointed out that the East Windsor Regional School District’s mission statement reads, in part, that the district is "committed to developing each individual’s maximum potential." He said that these students, if the allegations are true, have wasted much of their potential.
High school Principal Michael Matyas said he heard concerns from several teachers in the building that drugs were either being distributed, or deals were being arranged, on school grounds. Those concerns led the district to contact the borough Police Department.
Mr. Giaquinto and Sgt. Eufemia would not divulge details about the investigation, saying that it was still "ongoing." The Prosecutor’s Office also did not release the resident municipalities of each of the arrested students, citing the need for confidentiality due to their age.
Six of those arrested face charges for drug possession, drug possession with intent to distribute, drug distribution, drug possession with intent to distribute on or near school property, and drug distribution on or near school property. One of the six was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
The other two students face charges for drug possession, drug possession with intent to distribute, and drug distribution.
Dr. Witmer said no decisions have been made regarding the district’s punishment of the students. He said the accused boys have the right to due process, which includes a hearing before the Board of Education, before any penalty is handed down.
There is a range of punishments possible for the students’ offenses, but Dr. Witmer did not rule out the possibility of expulsion.