BAY HEAD – A man who dealt drugs near Bay Head Elementary School was found guilty recently by a jury, police reported.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Darryl Merritt, 30, of Neptune distributed drugs from a rented house near the school in late 2016 and early 2017.
A multi-jurisdictional investigation culminated in the SWAT Team, Narcotics Strike Force, and K-9 Unit to go to the residence. There, he was observed leaving a bathroom where he had tried to flush 11 bricks of heroin down the toilet. Other drugs and paraphernalia were recovered.
[adrotate banner="277"]He was found guilty of the following crimes:
- Possession of Over a Half-Ounce of Heroin with the Intent to Distribute
- Possession of Over One Half Ounce of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute
- Possession of Heroin
- Possession of Cocaine
- Possession with the Intent to Distribute Heroin in a School Zone
- Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine in a School Zone
- Obstructing the Administration of Law
Merritt is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Collins on December 13, 2019. He is currently lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending sentencing.
[adrotate banner="278"]Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer thanked Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke and Supervising Assistant Prosecutor William Porter who handled the case for the State; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad, Ocean County Regional SWAT Team, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, Bay Head Police Department, Toms River Township Police Department, Brick Township Police Department and the Lakewood Township Police Department.
