Dos Palos school district employee arrested on drug related charges

DOS PALOS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Dos Palos police have arrested a school district employee on drug-related charges.

They said 19-year-old Adam Najera sold marijuana to high school students.

Najera was hired just last month as a substitute instructional aide and yard duty attendant. So district leaders said he spent very limited time at any of the schools as an employee. Police do not believe he ever sold drugs on campus, but they are taking the allegations seriously.

Najera played football at Dos Palos High School before graduating last year and then joined the district team as an employee on January 26th. Police said he committed multiple crimes in just his first two weeks on the job. "We received a report a couple days ago from a citizen regarding a school employee who was selling marijuana to high school students, and we did a couple interviews, recovered some marijuana," said Chief Barry Mann, Dos Palos Police Department.

Chief Mann said Najera followed someone he suspected of making that report all the way to the police department Tuesday, and that's where he was arrested. The 19-year-old was booked into jail on charges of drug sales, conspiracy, dissuading a witness, and soliciting a minor for drug traffic. "There was one incident where a deal was going to occur. He wasn't home so a minor completed the deal for him," said Chief Mann.

Najera spent just hours in jail before being released on bail.

The interim superintendent said he will be employed with the district until this issue is resolved, but all of the school sites were instructed immediately to stop using him as a substitute. Chief Mann said he's spoken with Najera and hopes he can move past his mistakes. "He's a pleasant young man, and I think sometimes opportunities present themselves for fast dollars, and young kids, who don't think about ramifications, take an opportunity. But he was pleasant to us last night, and I think he's going to take this as a learning lesson, which I hope he does, and hope he bounces back from this and goes on to have a great future."

Chief Mann said he does take marijuana crimes very seriously because he believes many drug addicts in this community started with pot.

He's also working with council members to pass an ordinance banning all marijuana cultivation in the city.