Security discovered marijuana, prescription drugs, and LSD in the dorm room of Sarah Loether ’15
Madeleine O’Neill
News Editor
At 10:50 p.m. on the night of Oct. 12, officers from the Wooster Police Department were called to Holden Hall by campus Security and Protective Services officers in response to a drug complaint. Security had conducted a search of the dorm room of Sarah Loether ’15 and found marijuana, prescription pills and LSD, as well as drug paraphernalia including scales and glassware, according to the Wooster Police Department’s public record on the incident. The record also indicated that about $1,000 in cash was found in Loether’s room.
Captain Scott Rotolo of the Wooster Police Department said that a note had been given to the RA on Loether’s hall to alert the RA to the smell of marijuana coming from Loether’s room. The note was subsequently seized by the police to be used as evidence in the case. It is unclear whether the note prompted Security’s initial search of the room.
Loether was arrested and charged with drug trafficking and possession, although the charge was later changed to aggravated possession of drugs according to court records. At press time, Loether had not yet entered a plea in the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas.
Because LSD and marijuana are Schedule I drugs, in the same category as heroin and crack cocaine, their trafficking is a felony. If Loether is found guilty, she could face extensive jail time depending on the amount of the drugs she possessed, which is unclear at this time.
College administrators were unable to comment on the specifics of this case because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prevents the release of students’ private information.
Steve Glick, Director of Security and Protective Services, did explain “since [Security is] not a law enforcement agency, we cannot seize drugs or paraphernalia.” It was because of this limitation that the Wooster Police Department was called to the scene.
Senior Associate Dean of Students Carolyn Buxton was one of the administrators who declined to comment on this specific case. She did note that “the college responds to any incident involving drugs by referring the student to judicial action.” In a case such as this, where criminal charges have been filed, the College can still take additional judicial action against the student involved.
Although no administrators would comment on the action being taken against Loether by the College, a student source in contact with Loether indicated that she left campus on Thursday as a result of judicial action.
It is unknown as of press time whether her departure was the result of suspension or permanent expulsion.
This is an overshare to me.. sure it may be public information, but does that mean it was decent (for the voice) to publish the full name of a fellow Wooster student who has been punished and removed from the school? A few other people have mentioned to me that they were just as surprised. Maybe I’m reluctant to agree with such heavy condemnation & harsh punishment.
I agree with everything Sven said, and I’m a little shocked people on Facebook are throwing around words like “slander” and “libel” without apparently checking what those terms mean. Oh wait, I’m not. It’s Facebook.
Are you all sending indignant letters to the Daily Record too, or just the campus newspaper that’s actually doing its job—reporting campus news? Is the Voice supposed to just pretend to follow journalistic standards, unless those journalistic standards embarrass one of your friends? Would you like a newspaper, or an admissions brochure?
The Voice followed journalistic ethics to the letter. As a former editor, I’m proud of the staff, the writer and this article, which is cleanly and precisely written. What’s reported here are facts, from the public record. This incident occurred on campus. This incident involved Wooster students. Not only that, it was a significant and newsworthy event because of its scale, its happening during the regular academic year and the involvement of the Wooster Police. It is common practice for arrests to be reported, with the names of those arrested. This incident belongs in the Wooster Voice, with the names of those involved. That is what newspapers do. That is what the Wooster Voice is.
Keep up the good work.
Freedom of speech man!
Shame on whoever published this story. Regardless of the crime, a person in innocent until proven guilty. Yes, it is illegal to traffic drugs, but it unethical to name-and-shame one of your very own classmates. The Voice should retract and remove this story immediately, and those responsible for its publication should resign immediately.
Justice on Wooster campus. Lol. Dean Buxton is a huge twat nonetheless.
I see your point. After all, the press never publishes the name of individuals accused of crimes before the conclusion of a trial.
Wait, yes they do. All the time.
The Voice was publishing information that is already found in public police records. The reason names aren’t usually published in security briefs is because they are not open to the public. It’s the responsibility of the Voice to balance keeping the Wooster student body informed without violating anyone’s privacy. They accomplished both those goals here, serving to minimize false and potentially dangerous rumors on the process.
Thank you, Voice, for actually doing your job.