NJ school district employee arrested in Morris County drug bust

A New Jersey school district employee was arrested in connection with a raid on a Morris County drug ring after arriving at a Cedar Knolls residence driving a Madison Board of Education truck, prosecutors said Friday.

Casey J. Young, 32, of Morris Plains, was one of three people arrested Thursday after a narcotics investigation led to the seizure of several controlled substances — including suspected ketamine, cocaine and MDMA — firearms and nearly $18,000 in cash, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said.

The other two arrested were Jeremy C. Mayes, 35, of Cedar Knolls, and Adrian D. Schwerdt-O’Neil, 43, of Parsippany-Troy Hills.

Investigators say the three men ran a drug distribution ring around Morris County from September 1 until the day of their arrest.

The arrests followed searches at a residence in Cedar Knolls, Hanover Township; a house and storage unit in Parsippany-Troy Hills; and four vehicles, all conducted pursuant to search warrants, authorities said.

Detectives seized a large quantity of suspected cocaine, a loaded revolver and drug paraphernalia at the Parsippany residence, while a search of the Cedar Knolls residence resulted in the seizure of suspected ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, marijuana and approximately $18,000. A stolen Glock 43 was also found in a Nissan Altima linked to Mayes.

Young and Mayes were arrested while driving to the Cedar Knolls home in a Madison Board of Education truck, prosecutors said.

Young, a Madison school district employee, allegedly drove the truck. Upon his arrest, police found a Parsippany storage unit card in his possession.

After obtaining a search warrant, investigators searched the unit and found a loaded Glock 31 handgun, approximately five pills of suspected LSD, two bags of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, numerous pills and drug distribution paraphernalia, including a drug ledger.

All three were arrested Thursday and booked into the Morris County Jail. Mayes and Young remain detained pending a motion for pretrial detention, but Schwerdt-O’Neil has since been released, officials said.

They face multiple drug and weapons charges, including conspiracy to distribute and possession of large quantities of drugs with intent to distribute.

Prosecutors have not said what Young does for Madison Public Schools, and the district has not commented publicly on his arrest.