Man accused of giving teens prescription meds

A man who police said provided drugs to high school students is in jail after one of them was hospitalized.

Officers said Alexander Casquiera, 27, of Pocatello, had been allowing teenagers to come to his home on Myrtle Street (just a few blocks away from Alameda Middle School and Lewis and Clark Elementary) for parties over the past eight months. Police accused Casqueira of providing them with his prescription methadone pills.

He was arrested shortly before 3 a.m. Friday on charges of delivery of a controlled substance and injury to a child, both felonies. He is in the Bannock County Jail pending a court appearance.

Police said this shows how important it is to know what your kids are doing and who they’re spending time with.

“I would definitely notice any changes in your child’s behavior,” said Captain Roger Schei. “That’s going to be a huge red flag right there, if they change friends or change appearances.”

Schei said it’s also important to check on your kids via social media, and to know what sites they use: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine and others. He also said to go further.

“Go in their bedroom, find out what they’re doing, who they’re hanging out with, and who their friends are,” Schei said. “The best advice I can give, being a parent myself, is to be a nosy parent.”

While Schei hopes parents will get into their kids lives to know what’s happening, he said kids are aware of a lot of things in this world.

“Our kids are very, very smart people,” he said. “They know how to do things, and if they want to get to something, they will get it. So we just need to be involved.”

According to the U.S. Library of Medicine, methadone is used as a pain reliever and to treat drug addiction. Its side-effects can include slowed breathing and an irregular heartbeat.