The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office formally charged three people Wednesday in connection with a drug investigation at Texas Christian University.
Nearly 20 current and former students were arrested Feb. 15 during an early-raid at and around TCU, including four football players. An internal Fort Worth police memo listed 21 people the department issued warrants for.
- William Joseph Hoffman, 20, of Dallas, was charged with delivery of alprazolam, less than 28 grams, in a drug free zone. It is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and fine of up to $10,000.
- Katherine Petrie, 20, of Azle, was charged with delivery of marijuana, more than one-fourth of an ounce but less than 5 pounds. It is state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in a state jail facility and a fine of up to $10,000.
- Jordan Sherman, 22, of Azle, was charged with delivery of marijuana, more than one-fourth of an ounce but less than 5 pounds. The charge is a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in a state jail facility and a fine of up to $10,000.
A spokesperson for the district attorney declined to comment on the status of the other arrests but did say the office expected further charges to be filed Thursday.
The other suspects were accused of selling drugs to undercover officers at locations around the Fort Worth campus during a period of several months in late 2011 and early 2012.
Fort Worth police documents indicate that as many as 10 more arrests are possible and that the investigation is not over, but a police spokesman also declined to comment on the investigation Wednesday.
The legal developments came as TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini hosted a town hall meeting on campus Wednesday to discuss the past six years of accomplishments at the university and plans for the next six years.
As accomplishments, Boschini cited:
- A new campus commons was completed with new student dorms and classroom space.
- A major stadium renovation is under way for the successful Horned Frog football team.
- More dorms are under construction to house more students on campus.
Boschini said the focus during the past six years has been improving campus facilities.
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"In the next phase, we're saying, 'Let's raise more money and try to shape our student body, get more in scholarships, more for our endowment and more to hire faculty members,'" Boschini said.
The chancellor has been praised for quickly going public with the February arrests and for separating arrested students from the campus.
"I think people vote with their feet, and our admissions for next fall are running ahead of where they went last year," he said. "And so I think people feel like, if we have problems on our campus, we're going to address them."
Boschini said people around town have told him it is time to "move on" and that the drug arrests were weeks ago. But court and police action may keep the cases active for months to come.
