Man Watching 3 Small Children had 179 Bags of Heroin, Prosecutors Say

Keansburg, NJ - A Keansburg man had 179 bags of heroin on him at the same time he was watching three small children, ages 7, 5 and 3 years old, Monmouth County prosecutors charged Friday in a publicly-released criminal complaint.

James Mitchell, 58, of Shore Blvd. in Keansburg, was arrested Thursday. He had legal duty to care for the three children at the time he was found with the drug, police said. The heroin was in 179 wax folds, stamped with the logo "Poker."

Mitchell had enough of the drug to distribute it, police charge. He was charged with child abuse/endangerment charges as well. It is unknown at this time Mitchell's relation to the children.

Heroin is plentiful and cheap throughout central New Jersey: Thursday's arrest in Keansburg comes the same day Patch interviewed a young Middlesex college grad who became addicted to heroin in college. Read his story about how addictive heroin really is, and how he fought back to achieve sobriety.