A college campus is like a microcosm of society. Just about anything that goes on off campus also happens on campus. And Penn State is no exception. For better or worse, this observation also applies to the kinds of crime one will find on campus. Allegations of some types of criminal activities, like those related to drugs, underage drinking and sexual assault, are even more prevalent on college or university campuses than in the rest of Pennsylvania.
In a recent case, for example, a Penn State student is facing drug charges for allegedly selling cocaine out of his room at the fraternity to which he belongs. State College police used another student to make controlled buys on three different occasions. All of the purchases allegedly involved the same student and took place in the same room at the same fraternity house.
The cocaine purchases were reportedly conducted under police surveillance using currency with serial numbers that had been noted before the buys occurred. Using the information gathered from the controlled buys, police were apparently able to establish sufficient probable cause to obtain a search warrant. The ensuing search of the fraternity room reportedly netted cash, several types of narcotics and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia, such as a digital scale.
While this may sound pretty straightforward, when a search is involved a defendant’s rights under the Fourth Amendment of the United Constitution are invoked. For example, it is possible that police exceeded the scope of the warrant during the search. An experienced defense lawyer would look at all the facts and circumstances surrounding the search to ensure that the police conformed to all the legal standards that they are required to uphold.
Source: StateCollege.com, “Penn State student accused of selling cocaine from fraternity house,” Geoff Rushton, April 10, 2018