DRUG RAID TARGETS STUDENT POPULATION

A drug raid Monday was a "little bit unique" because those targeted
for arrest included 10 students at Penn State Altoona, Blair County
District Attorney Richard A. Consiglio said.

Drug raids in the Altoona area have become an almost daily event, but
never before has law enforcement focused squarely on a student population.

The message Monday was: "Nobody is going to get under the radar. We
look at everybody," Consiglio said.

Suspect [redacted] Altoona RD 4, was living in a small house in a
field on Woomer Road.

After his arrest, he sat in shackles in the courtroom of Magisterial
District Judge Steven Jackson and asked if he would be released in
time for an afternoon class presentation.

Then he asked, "Will they know?"

Campus officials were well aware of what was happening Monday.

Penn State Altoona Chancellor Lori Bechtel-Wherry joined Logan
Township Police Chief Ron Heller, PSU Altoona Chief Mike Lowery and
Consiglio to talk about why the drug raid was made.

Bechtel-Wherry said Penn State has a "zero tolerance" for drug abuse.

Those arrested were 10 out of more than 4,000 students, she said,
adding that the vast majority of students "are doing good in the community."

The students arrested will be subject to a disciplinary and appeal
process, but Bechtel-Wherry said expulsion also is a possibility.

By early afternoon, seven of the students were in custody, primarily
for dealing marijuana, while warrants still were out for three males,
who had gone home for the weekend, Heller said.

Police searched [redacted] residence where they found cocaine,
ecstasy, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and $3,400 in cash.

[redacted] , whose hometown is Hackettstown, N.J., was charged with
three counts each of criminal use of a communications facility and
possession and delivery of cocaine.

The students, including eight males and two females, are enrolled in
a range of majors.

[redacted] Campus View Drive, (hometown McMurray), and
[redacted] Campus View Drive (hometown Indiana), are Communications
majors. [redacted] and [redacted] (hometown Cherry Hill, N.J.), both
of [redacted], RD 4, are Liberal Arts majors.

[redacted] Campus View Drive (hometown Willmington, Del.), and
[redacted] Campus View Drive (hometown Allentown) are majoring in business.

Although none of the students sold drugs on campus, several were
charged with selling within a school zone, or within 1,000 feet of
the campus , which could mean a two-year mandatory minimum sentence
in a state correctional institution.