Brookfield Central basketball player charged with five drug-related felonies

BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Brookfield Central basketball player has been charged with five drug-related felonies.

Police say they used confidential informants to buy marijuana and THC vape cartridges from Gage Malensek at various Brookfield locations on three separate occasions this year.

A fourth time, officers say Malensek gave the contraband to another boy Julian Banda who completed the drug deal at his house. 

Banda has been charged with two felonies as well.

Some coaches in the district are using the arrests as teaching moments.

"It hurt me a lot. I talked to a lot of my players in baseball about it and said you have to make good decisions and you have to hang around with good kids," said Jeff Mierow, Brookfield Central Coach.

Police later found THC on Malensek while he was in school. At his house, a search warrant turned up several vaping cartridges with THC in them and four blunt wrappers.

In addition to the five felonies, Malensek is charged with three possession misdemeanors.

Malensek had signed on to play next year at a Division 2 college program in Missouri.

CBS 58 News reached out to the teams head coach for reaction but hasn't heard back.