Sting operation pins drug offenders

Police arrested 11 students and two nonstudents late last week on drug-related charges at two residence halls, a fraternity and two off-campus locations. Spearheaded by IU Police Department Officer Dave Hannum, who was assisted by a team of about 30 officers from the IU and Bloomington police departments, the sting culminated three months of undercover work by the South Central Indiana Drug Task Force.\nPreliminary charges include dealing marijuana, maintaining a common nuisance, and possession of marijuana and cocaine-related offenses, according to the Monroe County prosecutor's office.\nDean of Students Richard McKaig could not speculate on the exact course of IU disciplinary action the students will face, but he said judicial board appearances are a possibility. \nThe Code of Student Ethics prohibits students from possessing "controlled substances … including, but not limited to, marijuana, cocaine, narcotics, certain stimulants and depressants, and hallucinogens."\nIt also prohibits the sale or transfer of illegal drugs to IU students. \nOn Thursday, the task force force divided into teams of four to five officers and left IUPD headquarters at about 1:30 a.m., Hannum said. Each team was assigned a specific location and suspect and served warrants.\nHannum was assigned to the federally-funded task force in mid-September.\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said Thursday's arrests are part of an "ongoing effort" to communicate to students that drug dealing and abuse will not be tolerated.\nThe investigation's main focus, Hannum said, is to catch those suspected of distributing illegal substances.\n"We're not after people who smoke dope," he said. " We're after people who are dealing."\nThree members of Sigma Nu fraternity, 1015 N. Jordan Ave., were arrested at the house early Thursday: Junior Wesley T. Deig, 23; Junior Dustin M. Schnarr, 21, and Timothy Wade, 22.\nThree residents of Foster Quad were arrested early Thursday morning: Freshman Aaron J. Feldman, 19; freshman Vincent Lee Tung Shen, 18; and freshman Bruce Scott Davis, 18.\nThree students were arrested at Collins Living Learning Center late Thursday: Freshman Carlton Krumpfes, 18; freshman Jonathan P. Raskin, 18; and freshman Greg N. Corwin, 18.\nTwo students were arrested at off-campus locations Thursday: Junior Wesley D. Trueblood, 21; and freshman Yves K. Niyikiza, 19.\nTwo nonstudents were also arrested in the sting: Michael R. Diggs, 23; and IU Building Services employee Nicholas J. Garcia, 23. \nThe president of Sigma Nu, junior Doug Schaaf, did not return repeated phone calls last week and during the weekend. Sophomore Casey Holsapple, vice president of campus relations for IFC and a member of Sigma Nu, said the fraternity has no comment.\nInterfraternity Council president Colin Godecke, a senior, said he could not speculate on potential disciplinary action that might be taken by the IFC against the chapter. Because the arrests took place on chapter property, the IFC will begin investigating the matter immediately, he said.\n"This is quite a serious offense, but as of right now I don't know enough to be able to say either way what will happen to the chapter," Godecke said. "Some corrective action will be taken. This is not something we condone happening in our chapters on campus … We have a very clear substance abuse policy, and this is not consistent with that."\nSenior Ken Minami, president of the Residence Halls Association, said RHA usually does not intervene in drug-related situations in the residence halls. Instead, students facing alcohol or drug-related charges usually face disciplinary action by the University if it has been determined that the Student Code of Ethics has been violated.\nSearches and arrests conducted at greek houses and residence halls are conducted in a similar fashion, Minger said. Officers first knocked on the suspects' doors and identified themselves as IUPD officers. Upon entering the residences, they then identified the suspects as those individuals named on the arrest warrants and notified the suspects of the charges against them.\nThe drug task force relies on an extensive network of informants, many of whom Minger said are IU students or residence hall employees, to expand case files.\n"It's often the case that residents of the dormitories are the informants," Minger said. "It's hard to maintain a place where you sell and use marijuana daily and not have that become known to people living around you"