NEWS
Police bust student for dealing pot
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by Natalie Rhoads
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
A University of Wisconsin freshman was arrested Monday for allegedly dealing drugs out of his Ogg Hall room.
Peter Alan Wilfahrt faces tentative charges of dealing drugs, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. A room search showed he also possessed cash, packaging supplies and a digital scale, according to UW Police Detective Carol Ann Glassmaker.
Glassmaker said several anonymous tips had been called in to the UW Police Department on their hotline, which was what originally gave police suspicion. She said they had questioned Wilfahrt last week, but he was not arrested until Monday.
If convicted, Glassmaker said Wilfahrt could potentially be expelled from University Housing and UW, but the dean of students would make the final decision.
She added he faces charges of two felony counts and one misdemeanor, which could mean up to five years in jail if convicted.
Associate Dean of Students Lori Berquam said if UW students are caught with drugs, her department looks at any prior situations in which they had been involved before deciding on consequences.
“We consider drug dealing [to be] serious,” Berquam said. “If somebody was convicted, they would probably be suspended or expelled.”
Glassmaker said students who are convicted of this type of crime often lose scholarships and are dismissed from any sport in which they might have been. She added students who attend UW work hard to get into the university and, with a charge of this nature, their aspirations to get a degree at UW are ruined.
Glassmaker said Wilfahrt’s arrest is not the first problem to occur this year involving a UW student and drugs. The increase in drug problems this year, she added, could be linked to the fact that it is harder for underage students to obtain alcohol, and many turn to drugs instead.
Wilfahrt also pled guilty to an underage drinking citation for an incident in Ogg Hall Feb. 11, according to Wisconsin Circuit Court records.
“This year we’ve been having more of a significant problem with drugs,” Glassmaker said. “Our department is taking this very seriously.”
