School bus driver, aide indicted on drug charges BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer FREEHOLD - A former bus aide has been indicted for allegedly supplying a 15-year-old high school student with methadone in October. Parrish L. Jones, 36, of Keansburg, was indicted on numerous narcotics-related crimes, including third-degree distribution of a controlled substance on a school bus and third-degree attempted distribution of a controlled dangerous substance on a school bus. The indictment also charges Jones with three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and charges the bus driver, John Huscha, 63, of Old Bridge, with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. On Oct. 30, the unnamed Middletown High School North student lost consciousness while on his way to school on a school bus operated by Milu Bus Service, based in Aberdeen. A subsequent investigation conducted by the Middletown Police Department concluded that Jones, who was working as the aide on the bus that the student took to school that morning, had given the student methadone. The investigation further concluded that Jones had attempted to distribute Xanax while on the school bus on a previous occasion, and that Huscha had allowed Jones to sell cigarettes to children who rode the bus. Jones is facing a potential sentence of 36 years if convicted on all charges, while Huscha faces 10 years on the endangering the welfare of a child charge. "The acts of Jones and Huscha in making cigarettes available to students on their way to school constitutes a substantial breach of their obligation to ensure the safety of these students," Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin said in a press release. "The prosecution of these defendants will send a clear message that such conduct will not be condoned as we continue to make the protection of our children a top priority." Less than two months after the incident, the Middletown School District entered into an agreement with the bus company that will allow school personnel to randomly board buses and check the employees' credentials. Jones is currently at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, on $35,000 bail. Huscha was arrested and then released after posting $10,000 bail.