Two 19-year-old male students were sent to the dean after admitting to possession of marijuana in Warf Hall on Jan. 20.
A residential assistant who reported the incident to campus police said they had previous complaints about a marijuana smell, according to a campus report.
The officer went inside and asked the two men where the marijuana was located, but they said they didn’t know, the report mentioned.
“I then explained to both guys that it was not my intention to seek criminal charges against them and that I would give them another chance to be honest with me, because if they were honest, then it would look very good to the University,” the officer stated in the report.
The students then retrieved a shoebox from the closet holding a butane lighter, vape smoking device, Tupperware containing additional tobacco residue, an empty cigar package, and an orange prescription bottle containing the marijuana, according to the report.
“Sometimes individuals are charged criminally and put through the criminal justice system, others we try to handle on campus,” Police Chief Tony Nelson said.
Police confiscated the items and the students were not charged criminally.
“The reason we do that is we try to look at what’s best for the student. If we can bring about the change of behavior by addressing it here on campus with the dean of students, without imposing a bunch of fees and fines on students who are, let’s face it, you know, they are strapped for cash…,” Nelson said. “So, if we can do that and bring about that change, and it assists and helps the student, that’s what we try to do. Now that depends on several different factors.”
