Ocean County’s opioid epidemic literally has landed on the desk of an Eagleswood elementary school teacher who faces charges that he snorted morphine in class in front of students and another faculty member, prosecutors say.

According to a Dec. 3 complaint by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Michael Palladino, a 43-year-old teacher at Eagleswood Township Elementary School, is charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, a third-degree crime, and official misconduct, a more serious second-degree offense alleging Palladino used his public position for his personal benefit.

“Specifically, by ingesting a controlled dangerous substance through his nostril, at his desk in a classroom during school hours in the presence of another teacher and students,” the complaint stated, referring to the misconduct charge.

The incident occurred last Monday, and Palladino was charged that same day based on an investigation by the New Jersey State Police, said Bryan Huntenberg, a spokesman for Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer,

The complaint said three morphine tablets were found in a plastic bag in Palladino’s desk, along with a Bic pen he used like a straw. Palladino apparently ground the tablets into a powder, which the complaint states others saw him snort using the pen.

Eagleswood Township Elementary School is a pre-Kindergarten through the sixth grade school serving just under 300 students. It is the only school in the Eagleswood Township School District, which sends middle and high school students to Pinelands Regional junior and senior high schools.

Neither Eagleswood’s superintendent of schools, Deborah Snyder, nor its business administrator, Allison Bogart, responded to repeated requests for information regarding Palladino’s status. Palladino could not be reached.

The complaint did not specify what grade level Palladino teaches, nor whether he had been suspended from his teaching job with or without pay. Huntenberg said his office had no information on Palladino’s employment status.

Morphine is an opioid typically used as a pain killer but sometimes abused for its euphoric effects. Ocean County and neighboring Monmouth on the Jersey Shore, has been called the epicenter of the opioid epidemic in New Jersey.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook