Chinemeze “Chi Chi” Nwadike, a standout two-sport athlete at Dickinson High School who is headed for the University of Maine on a football scholarship in the fall, was arrested and charged with three counts of felony drug possession on Feb. 22 in Jersey City. According to police reports, Nwadike, 18, was arrested after police undercover surveillance spotted him allegedly involved in a drug sale on the corner of Summit Avenue Poplar Street, adjacent to the high school. Reports say that Nwadike was spotted allegedly taking approximately 25 bags of marijuana with a street value of approximately $200, from a shoebox next to a phone booth – a popular ploy among drug dealers. Nwadike and another unidentified male were spotted by police going back and forth to the shoebox, then approaching cars as they drove by, according to police. The Jersey City police saw the proceedings and immediately arrested the teenager and charged him with felony possession, possession with the intent to distribute and possession within 1,000 feet of a school. The other male who was spotted with Nwadike escaped and was not apprehended. If convicted of all three charges, Nwadike could face seven to 10 years in prison – with a maximum of five years on the possession near a school charge. However, there is another strange twist to the tale involving Nwadike and the athletic staff at Dickinson, which apparently allowed Nwadike to play for the Dickinson basketball team after knowing about his arrest on felony drug possession charges. Played anyway Dickinson was involved in the HCIAA playoffs last week and Nwadike played in both the semifinal victory against North Bergen on Friday night and participated in the HCIAA finale – won by Dickinson for the first time since 1972 – Sunday against Emerson. Nwadike also played in the Rams’ opening round victory over Vernon in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV state playoffs on Monday. And all three appearances came after Dickinson head coach Bill “Red” Drennan and athletic director Gennaro “Roddy” Maffia knew of Nwadike’s arrest – and still allowed him to participate without informing their superiors at the Board of Education, according to an unnamed source close to the situation. Apparently, after spending two nights incarcerated in the Hudson County Jail in Kearny, Nwadike faced a Central Judicial Processing court on Thursday, Feb. 24 and was released on bail to the recognizance of his older brother. After missing two days of practice and school, Nwadike told an assistant coach of the arrest, who then informed Drennan, according to an unnamed source. The coach then informed the athletic director, but they still allowed the teenager to participate. Nwadike’s parents knew nothing of the arrest at the time. According to published reports, the state-appointed Superintendent of Schools in Jersey City, Richard DiPatri, was not pleased to hear rumors about a cover-up among high school administrators. “If that’s true, then heads will roll,” DiPatri told a local daily newspaper last week. “There was an absolute breakdown in protocol. There are procedures in place and they are to notify superiors immediately. We have things to do, legally and otherwise, and when we don’t find out in a timely fashion, it makes it more difficult to recover the facts. Then, there’s the perception of a cover-up.” Efforts by the Reporter to reach DiPatri were unsuccessful. Board of Education Spokeswoman Joanne Kenny said that the board was conducting an internal investigation concerning the Nwadike arrest, but there was no conclusive evidence of a cover-up at press time. “Until we get all the information, we’re not going to comment on it,” Kenny said. “It’s a very unfortunate situation because he’s a star athlete and an honor roll student.” When news of Nwadike’s arrest filtered down to the Board of Education officials, he was immediately suspended from the basketball team’s next game, which ended in a victory over Passaic Tech on Wednesday. The Rams were slated to face Passaic in the sectional semifinals on Friday after the Reporter went to press. DiPatri said in a published report that if he’d known about the arrest when it happened, Nwadike would have been immediately suspended from the team pending further investigation. Ken Iwana, the assistant general counsel for the Board of Education, said that the board did not have a policy in place that prohibits students who have been arrested from participating in athletics. “The Board of Education has the discretion to handle all of these matters, in terms of a student’s arrest,” Iwana said. “Any issue regarding the case falls under the student’s confidentiality, so we’re not allowed to discuss.” Jim Loper, the assistant director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, the state’s governing body in terms of high school athletics, said that the organization also does not have a policy that restricts players who have been arrested and charged with a crime. “We have no regulations that prohibits students from participating,” Loper said. “We encourage our member schools to develop a policy that will prohibit anyone who has been involved with any illegal activity.” Under advice from the Board of Education, Drennan, Maffia and Michael Venutolo, the director of health, physical education and athletics in the Jersey City school system, all declined to comment. Nwadike was seeking legal advice from the public defender’s office at press time. There was some talk that because it was his first offense, and because he is a bright student with a bright future, Nwadike might be offered pre-trial intervention in lieu of facing the felony charges. If Nwadike takes the offer of PTI, he will have to remain clean of any trouble for six months. Then, the arrest will be stricken from his records. However, First Assistant County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said that the investigation into the arrest is still ongoing, so no offer of PTI can be made until it is completed. “The amount of narcotics seized is not consistent with personal use,” DeFazio said. “That warranted the intent to distribute, which is the more serious charge. It will be investigated and presented to a grand jury.” Nwadike is perhaps Dickinson’s best student-athlete. He earned All-Area honors from the Hudson Reporter in each of the last two seasons as a quarterback for the Rams and was averaging close to 12 points per game for the HCIAA champion basketball team. It is not immediately known whether the arrest will jeopardize his chances to fulfill the scholarship offer he received from the University of Maine, with whom Nwadike signed a letter of intent last month.
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