Suffolk police say Mastic Beach man sold weed gummies to middle schooler

A Mastic Beach man faces criminal charges for allegedly selling marijuana gummies to a student at William Paca Middle School, where classmates later became ill after eating the cannabis chewies, the Suffolk County Police Department said.

Jahsheem Jones, 18, allegedly sold the gummies in May to the 13-year-old, who then shared them with three other students at the Mastic Beach middle school, the police said in a news release late Monday. The students ingested the gummies "on school grounds," and "reported being sick at school," before being transported to a hospital, according to the police.

Officers with Suffolk’s Seventh Precinct in Shirley arrested Jones about 8 p.m. Monday at his home and charged him with endangering the welfare of a child, the department said. Police issued Jones a desk appearance ticket. He is expected to appear at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.

"We are grateful to the Suffolk County Police Department for their efforts ...," James Montalto, a spokesperson for the William Floyd school district, said Tuesday in an  emailed statement to Newsday. "This unfortunate situation was addressed with the students involved and their families when it occurred last May."

It remained unclear Tuesday whether Jones had retained a defense attorney.

His arrest was at least the second this year of someone accused of selling cannabis gummies to a minor that were later ingested by middle schoolers in the William Floyd school district. 

In March, a 13-year-old student at William Floyd Middle School in Moriches allegedly purchased cannabis gummies from Wilmer Castillo Garcia, of Mastic, Newsday previously reported. That student then handed out the gummies to a dozen 13- and 14-year-old students, 11 of whom were hospitalized, according to the article.

In his statement, Montalto said the district continues "to educate our students throughout the school year, through topical lessons and special events, about the dangers of all drug use including cannabis and edible cannabis."

During an investigation by police, Castillo Garcia allegedly sold cocaine and marijuana to an undercover officer and subsequently police said he confessed to selling the middle schooler gummies, Newsday reported. 

Castillo Garcia pleaded not guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and acting in a manner to injure a child under 17, according to court records. He is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 28.

In a text to Newsday on Tuesday, Matthew Tuohy, Castillo Garcia's defense attorney, said his client is "maintaining his innocence and ... fighting the case."

"He's upset about the severity and notoriety of the case," Tuohy added, "but is doing his best to work through those issues."