Villager’s grandson from New Jersey nabbed with gun and drugs

A Villager’s grandson from New Jersey has been arrested after being caught with a firearm and drugs in the Village of Caroline.

Justin M. O’Neill, 26, who has been living with his 81-year-old grandmother at 1740 Bassinger Court in the Village of St. Charles, was arrested Sunday afternoon at a residence on Fort Lawn Loop.

Sumter County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Fort Lawn Loop home at approximately 1:53 p.m. regarding a disturbance. During the investigation, multiple independent witnesses told deputies that following a traffic crash, O’Neill had entered his red Kia Optima, retrieved unknown items, and walked toward the rear of the residence where he had been working.

The homeowner provided written consent to search the property, leading deputies to discover a garden hose storage box at the rear of the home. Inside, they found a clear plastic baggie containing a crystal-like substance, unidentified white tablets, and an OD green Smith & Wesson .357-caliber revolver with an altered or removed serial number.

Presumptive field testing indicated the crystal-like substance was methamphetamine and the white tablets were fentanyl. A search of O’Neill’s person also revealed buprenorphine and naloxone sublingual film inside his wallet, while an inventory search of his vehicle yielded a glass pipe that tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.

A criminal history check revealed O’Neill has two prior felony convictions from 2019 out of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, for offenses involving the manufacture and distribution of heroin.

O’Neill was arrested on felony charges of possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of an altered firearm, three counts of drug possession, and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug equipment.

He is being held at the Sumter County Detention Center, where a hold has been put on his custody by New Jersey authorities.