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Towson sophomore Daniel Charles Van Pelt was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession with the intent to distribute Monday morning, according to Baltimore County Police.
During a search of Van Pelt's room in Tower A, police found more than $500, a bag of marijuana and additional drug paraphernalia.
According to a TUPD report, two detectives then interviewed Van Pelt in reference to the incident. Van Pelt told police that he sells small bags of marijuana for $10 a piece and that he sells approximately 1/4 pound of marijuana per week.
The search was done by BCPD and Towson University Police Department. Capt. Joe Herring said they only assisted the county.
According to the police report, officers executed a search and seizure warrant in Room 414 of Tower A at 6:50 a.m.
"Often [a search] is done early in the morning to create an element of surprise," Toohey said.
When officers entered the room, Van Pelt and his roommate were present.
Officers photographed and searched the room. The search produced: one sandwich bag containing 16 small Ziplock bags inside a Van Pelt's desk drawer; a Ziplock bag containing greenish brown vegetable matter identified as marijuana in a desk drawer; $521 in Van Pelt's dresser; $24 in his desk drawer; a digital scale in the desk; a glass hitter piece from a bong on the desk; and multiple empty Ziplock bags in a metal safe box on his dresser.
Wednesday afternoon, Van Pelt answered the phone at his home in New Jersey, but refused to comment on the incident.
Representatives from Housing and Residence Life were at a conference in Florida and unavailable for comment.
BCPD spokesman Bill Toohey said another search warrant was carried out in a second room in Tower A but no arrest came from that search.
Freshman Tower A resident Colleen Morse was unaware of the arrest made in her Tower.
She said she feels safe in the Towers but "I know some people smoke in the bathrooms."
Sophomore psychology major and Tower A resident Julie Mizak was also unaware of the arrest. Mizak said students smoking in the residence halls is "pretty common."
Arrest warrants for intent to distribute marijuana don't happen on campus. But instances involving the possession marijuana occur regularly, according to a review of TUPD data.
In March TUPD made 13 drug-related arrests. Several other drug-related incidents this semester did not lead to arrests.
Six of the 13 charges were for possession of a controlled dangerous substance/paraphernalia with the intent to use. Three were for possession of CDS/marijuana and two were marijuana possession. There was also one charge of possession of CDS with intent to distribute and one charge of possession of CDS/paraphernalia with intent to distribute.
Examples of drug-related incidents
According to police reports, on Feb. 2, two officers responded to Ward Hall after a report that a male suspect was passed out on the first floor of the men's bathroom. When the officers arrived, one asked the suspect to open the bathroom stall door. According to the police report, the officer "attempted to look over the bathroom stall wall for observation of what was being flushed down the toilet."
The officers eventually opened the door and arrested the suspect.
One of the officers handcuffed the suspect, found a hard bulge on him and thought it was a weapon. It turned out the item was a bong.
No weapons were found. When asked, the suspect admitted he had marijuana in his wallet. He claimed the only thing he flushed was vomit and not drugs.
The suspect admitted to drinking in the Valley View Apartments complex earlier in the night.
…
On Feb. 21, an officer was called to the sixth floor of Tower C. The officer smelled marijuana from the room and the officers knocked on the door. Students responded "just a minute" and officers heard movement and a desk drawer closing.
The officers then entered the room, and they noticed a bottle of Port Royal Rum. The officers asked to search the room, and when officers searched the cabinet under the sink, a bong was found.
Officers asked if there were any other illegal substances the suspect wanted to turn over. The suspect turned over a small bag with marijuana.
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On March 9, a resident assistant in Tower A called the TUPD after smelling a suspicious odor on the fourth floor. At first the officer didn't smell anything resembling marijuana but then heard the use of an aerosol can which he knew covers the smell of marijuana.
Another officer responded to the scene and while the two tried to smell for drugs, the suspect opened the door. The officer entered the room and there was a very potent smell of marijuana in the area and among the other suspects present.
When asked to explain the smell, the suspects didn't say anything but exchanged looks with each other.
The officers searched the room and found three bottles of alcohol. The officers also found a glass pipe and a bong used for smoking marijuana.
At this point some of the students admitted to smoking marijuana, while others said they were present in the room while it happened but didn't actually smoke.
The officer observed that all the suspects had glassy and bloodshot eyes. Five of the suspects in the room did not have guest passes. The officer asked if there was anything else illegal the suspect wanted to hand over and the suspect gave him a small bong made of marble and shaped like a horse head, according to the police report.
All the suspects denied that they had been drinking that night, and the officer could not smell alcohol. All the illegal contraband was seized.
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On March 15, students Jonathan Sui and Michael Watson were arrested in Richmond Hall Room 307.
Officers could smell marijuana and asked if he could enter the room. The students then gave the marijuana they were in possession of to one of the officers. Both students were placed under arrest.
They were both charged with possession of CDS and possession with the intent to distribute.
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