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June 25, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels February 19, 2004 Five students busted for dealing at SOU By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings Five Southern Oregon University students traded their dorm rooms for jail cells Wednesday, for allegedly selling drugs on campus. The students were arrested during a two-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Wednesday by the Ashland Police Department, after they served three search warrants in the Forest and Hawthorne residence halls, where the suspects lived. Drew Putterman, 18, of West Linn; John Durkan, 19, of Hood River; Andrew Puerini, 19, of Salem; Samual Both, 18, of Lostine; and James Derden, 19, of Boise, Idaho, were charged with suspicion of the delivery of marijuana and manufacture of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school. All five were lodged in Jackson County Jail, where they remain in lieu of bail ranging from $40,000 to $75,000 each. SOU administrators and security, with the help of the Ashland Police Department, launched an investigation into the sale of illegal drugs on campus based on an increase in alcohol and drug incidents in the residence halls. Joey Ngan, director of security and safety at SOU said campus security usually responds to few, if any, reports of marijuana activity each week. But starting in October, security was beginning to respond to more than 12 a month. During the investigation, a plain-clothes officer from the APD bought marijuana from the students, Ngan said. He said something like this is highly unusual for the SOU campus, despite problems on college and high school campuses across the country. "We wanted to get a handle on it," Ngan said. "We want people to know if they're selling drugs on campus that we're not going to tolerate it. It's a regrettable incident. They are our students, but we have a greater duty to protect the safety and health of our residents." He said SOU security will continue to closely monitor and take action on any drug use on campus and try to eliminate such incidents. Police Chief Mike Bianca said in a statement that while he was disappointed with the behavior of the suspects, he was proud of the dedication of his staff and the cooperation from SOU. "I hope that our efforts garner some publicity on campus and have a chilling effect on those dealing drugs," he said. Ruth Stoddard, director of residential life at SOU said the university has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the illegal use, possession, or distribution of drugs on campus. She said the five students will receive an administrative hearing where a course of action will be decided. This could include being evicted from the dorms and expulsion from the university. Stoddard said while a few students witnessed the arrest, it appears most students were unaware. "I was amazed at the number of [problems] we were having," she said. "I'm happy we identified the individuals and are taking the appropriate course of action." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams