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Students arrested in drug roundup at University of the Cumberlands
Posted On 05 May 2010
Some University of the Cumberlands students had a lot more to worry about Wednesday morning than final exams, like going to jail and a possible prison sentence.
Nearly a month after the University of the Cumberlands contacted law enforcement about suspected drug trafficking on campus, the Williamsburg Police Department and Operation UNITE arrested 10 students on drug trafficking charges.
"University officials initiated the actions leading to these arrests and will continue to cooperate with local law enforcement in conducting this ongoing investigation," University of the Cumberlands President Dr. James H. Taylor said in a press release.
Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said that he commends the university’s efforts.
"They could have turned a blind eye to this whole thing, but they choose to take care of the problem," Bird said. "I think what has happened here today sends a strong message that they aren’t going to tolerate this kind of activity on campus. I commend the university for its efforts and I commend UNITE for its efforts also."
Bird said that the university first contacted his department about one month ago concerning a problem with narcotics on campus, and that he in turn contacted Operation UNITE resulting in the joint investigation.
"Through our efforts and UNITE’s efforts, after a month long investigation, we were able to arrest 10 people for the sale of narcotics here on campus," Bird said.
Dan Smoot, Operation UNITE Law Enforcement Director, said that police spent about a month using confidential informants to make drug purchases from students on campus.
Smoot said that authorities had to cut the investigation a little short because many of the students were loading up to go home for the summer.
Wednesday was the last major day for final exams.
"We have some other leads we are going to follow up on. It’s possible that other arrests could be made in the future," Smoot said.
There wasn’t a large quantity of drugs sold, Bird said.
"It was a few pills here, a few pills there, and a little bit of marijuana, but it was enough to draw some attention for sure," he noted. "I’m sure that the problem has always existed here, but on a much smaller level.
"Here lately, it has just grown everywhere, and it is affecting everybody, especially kids on campus and at high schools. It has grown everywhere in Kentucky. It just got out of hand."
Most of the drug trafficking charges deal with diverted pharmaceutical pills and that some deal with the sale of marijuana, Bird said.
"They are pretty serious charges," he said.
Charges filed
The arrested students include:
* Matthew Paul Croley, 20, of Williamsburg – first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.
* Cameron Leon Brooks, 20, of Williamsburg – trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.
* Angelo Price, 24, of Williamsburg – two counts of trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.
* Joseph Robert Morales, 19, of Miami, Florida – advertising a controlled substance in non-approved pub, first offense.
* Marcus Oda, 19, of Williamsburg – trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.
* Jaron Micaiah Singley, 20, of Corbin – second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.
* Alexander Roepe, 21, of Williamsburg – first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.
* Karlos Quatez Scott, 21, of Hawkinsville, Ga. – trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.
* David Ryan Overy, 20, of Berkley, Michigan – first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.
* Charles Simmons, 24, of Williamsburg – trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school.
The arrested students could also face disciplinary action at the school, including suspension or termination.
"More than likely, they will be asked not to return," noted University of the Cumberlands Vice-President for Students Services Dr. Michael Colegrove.
Second bust on a campus
Smoot said that this is only the second drug round-up that his agency has done on a college or university campus.
The first was about four to five years ago at Morehead University when about 30 people were arrested.
"The drug epidemic as a whole – colleges aren’t immune either. We would love for all colleges that believe they have a problem to invite us in and basically assist us the way the University of the Cumberlands has," Smoot said.
"I think the University of the Cumberlands went above and beyond call of duty. They initiated this investigation and they welcomed law enforcement with open arms."
Colegrove said that the university had suspicions for some time about possible drug activity on campus, and contacted the Williamsburg Police Department to investigate. Until the investigation, officials had no way to know how bad the drug problem was.
"You never know until you get into it," Colegrove said. "I think most campuses have a problem to some level. We certainly don’t pass judgment on other campuses. We only work on our own situation.
"Our desire is to have a drug free campus. We want to make this environment healthy, and wholesome and safe for the vast majority of our students, who are here for the right reasons."
Colegrove said that he thinks the investigation and arrests send a message to the rest of the student body.
"Hopefully, the message is that we care out our students. We want to make sure that they have the best possible environment to study in, to live and learn in, and that is what we are committed to," he added.
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I couldnt agree more with what WhyUCSucks says.
Correction: I accidently wrote 12 students while in fact there were only 10… My mistake
Correction: I accidently wrote 12 students while in fact there were only 10… My mistake
Bubba you proved in your comment that not only have you failed to read the comments left by myself and the others that intelligently made our case and point. By attacking us stating that we are morons while you 1) Fail to use any form of intelligent grammer/spelling and 2) Failed to successfully argue against our points only furthers our points. What we stated (or at least I stated) was that the way the police and the school went about their investigation was wrong. Whether or not the accused students trafficked drugs is not what I am arguing (They have juries for that) I merely stated that the cops in Williamsburg are corrupt, and if you care to argue that you can all you want. You will never succeed in changing mine nor anyone else who has witnessed firsthand the ethics of the “Law Enforcement” in the area. If you truly think that the police handled this situation correctly I am truly sorry for you. For 12 individuals (guilty or not) to be arrested at the word of a known thief is simply absurd. No matter how valid the information he gave the police/UC officials was that does not change the fact that he is a criminal and as you stated in your own poorly worded argument he “deserves what he gets…. No one made him do it” I would trade in a heart beat 12 possible drug dealers at the level it was supposedly at at UC for 1 guaranteed thief. As I stated earlier whether or not they were selling drugs is not the case. The fact is that UC officals and police KNEW for a FACT!! that Ronnie Hawkins had stolen over $1,000 worth of misc items from his peers, but in exchange for ratting on the accused individuals got off scott free. Do you feel that theft is in the good of the community? Would you rather have a dealer in your dorm suite which if you choose to not deal with him/her in any way/shape/form you don’t have to. While on the other hand having a thief in your suite is a whole different story. At any point in time you could have your belongings stolen by that individual as many students on campus experienced with Ronnie Hawkins. Not only was he a thief but he was also a known druguser/dealer. So not only do we have a thief but we have the very thing that UC and the police used him to find. Why is it that in exchange for turning others in he was allowed to walk away without so much as a slap on the wrist. You my friend are a fool if you truly believe that this situation was handled in the correct fashion. If you had any sort of moral compass or ethics you would realize that if the accused are found guilty they are truly the lesser evil in the situation as the true criminal walks away without learning any sort of lesson (Except of course that he can blame others for his own failings and not except responsibility for his own actions). As I said I do not condone anything that has been discussed on this board I have simply stated that of the parties involved the ones that are taking the fall should not fall alone. Ronnie Hawkins commited the same crimes as they are accused of plus theft. I would any day choose to have one of the accused or all of them on the streets instead of having a thief walk free. All this whole situation has proven is that in a corrupt society such as UC/Williamsburg you can blame others for your own misdeeds and escape all fault. How is this a good, ethical, or moral message to send to the students? How does allowing 12 students take the fall while another guilty party can point a finger and say “No, It was all them” be considered right in your mind? All I have to say Bubba is that if you truly do feel the way you stated in your above comment I truly feel sorry for you and wish you enlightenment later in your life. As it stands if you continue to believe that this situation was handled to the best of society’s abilities then you have a dim view on justice, but of course Williamsburg will do that to a person. Overall you my friend are destined for a sad and miserable existance if your view of your fellows is so low. Sorry everyone for the wall of text but I had alot to say. To Ronnie Hawkins I wish you to know “People that live in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks…. Eventually a rock will be thrown in your direction and you will have no one to blame but yourself”
Wow, all of you morons need to go back to school……you think these people buying and selling drugs are good for the community?? You think its not a big deal??? It seem that these moronic comments condone drug use as if it were not a problem….these people were caught….who cares how…buying/selling or using ILLEGAL DRUGS…..they deserve what they get….no one made them do it. The police didnt force any of these students to buy/do drugs….why blame them….ohh ya…because all of the stupid comments on here were left buy people that condone drug use and dont think that its a problem for everyone around, only the person doing the drugs.
First I agree with everyone that thinks the school and town is F up. I dont get it… how do u feel good about ur self at the end of the day knowing that u r part of this place . quote from God him self… that who knows of bad and does not do a thing will die as though they did the sin themselves and those who award the dirty are just as guilty. Cumberland U SUCK ASS HOLE. U see how talking about God and then doing something wrong like talking **** just dont go together… ya well thing about the out side world . Dr. colgrove what good have u done in the world what do u think ur soul purpose is … ur dont care about students u dont care about making a positive impact in the world showing the hands and feet of god instead ur so caught on jaking off to ur self that u r no body and u will die of a soulless man in all of respect.
First I agree with everyone that thinks the school and town is F up. I dont get it… how do u feel good about ur self at the end of the day knowing that u r part of this place . quote from God him self… that who knows of bad and does not do a thing will die as though they did the sin themselves and those who award the dirty are just as guilty. Cumberland U SUCK ASS HOLE. U see how talking about God and then doing something wrong like talking **** just dont go together… ya well thing about the out side world . Dr. colgrove what good have u done in the world what do u think ur soul purpose is … ur dont care about students u dont care about making a positive impact in the world showing the hands and feet of god instead ur so caught on jaking off to ur self that u r no body and u will die of a soulless man in all of respect.
First I agree with everyone that thinks the school and town is F up. I dont get it… how do u feel good about ur self at the end of the day knowing that u r part of this place . quote from God him self… that who knows of bad and does not do a thing will die as though they did the sin themselves and those who award the dirty are just as guilty. Cumberland U SUCK ASS HOLE. U see how talking about God and then doing something wrong like talking **** just dont go together… ya well thing about the out side world . Dr. colgrove what good have u done in the world what do u think ur soul purpose is … ur dont care about students u dont care about making a positive impact in the world showing the hands and feet of god instead ur so caught on jaking off to ur self that u r no body and u will die of a soulless man in all of respect.
First I agree with everyone that thinks the school and town is F up. I dont get it… how do u feel good about ur self at the end of the day knowing that u r part of this place . quote from God him self… that who knows of bad and does not do a thing will die as though they did the sin themselves and those who award the dirty are just as guilty. Cumberland U SUCK ASS HOLE. U see how talking about God and then doing something wrong like talking **** just dont go together… ya well thing about the out side world . Dr. colgrove what good have u done in the world what do u think ur soul purpose is … ur dont care about students u dont care about making a positive impact in the world showing the hands and feet of god instead ur so caught on jaking off to ur self that u r no body and u will die of a soulless man in all of respect.
First I agree with everyone that thinks the school and town is F up. I dont get it… how do u feel good about ur self at the end of the day knowing that u r part of this place . quote from God him self… that who knows of bad and does not do a thing will die as though they did the sin themselves and those who award the dirty are just as guilty. Cumberland U SUCK ASS HOLE. U see how talking about God and then doing something wrong like talking **** just dont go together… ya well thing about the out side world . Dr. colgrove what good have u done in the world what do u think ur soul purpose is … ur dont care about students u dont care about making a positive impact in the world showing the hands and feet of god instead ur so caught on jaking off to ur self that u r no body and u will die of a soulless man in all of respect.
First I agree with everyone that thinks the school and town is F up. I dont get it… how do u feel good about ur self at the end of the day knowing that u r part of this place . quote from God him self… that who knows of bad and does not do a thing will die as though they did the sin themselves and those who award the dirty are just as guilty. Cumberland U SUCK ASS HOLE. U see how talking about God and then doing something wrong like talking **** just dont go together… ya well thing about the out side world . Dr. colgrove what good have u done in the world what do u think ur soul purpose is … ur dont care about students u dont care about making a positive impact in the world showing the hands and feet of god instead ur so caught on jaking off to ur self that u r no body and u will die of a soulless man in all of respect.
i myself am former UC studemt.. i cant even begin to describe what a hoaks that whole city is. the school officials are educated tyrans who brain wash the cops. the cops are like thier muscle except all fat and wrthless.. majority of the police fore of williamsburg are corrupt. i do not know the kids personally but im sure were unjustified… UC tried to ruin my life as well.. but im rich b*tch colegrover can suck it . the police station can suck it as well.. your al a bunch of inbread imbisils
This is funny considering I went to williamsburg highschool and cumberland after and all the cops are known for buying, doing and selling drugs! I have photos as a matter of fact..lol. Cumberland is stupid and do not care about anyone just the money that high officials can pocket! They dont care about the fact that this will destroy these kids lifes! Instead of trying to reach out and help them they call unite to bust them and ruin any chance of them having a future! I guess they had run out of drama in the small town of williamsburg and needed to create something to talk about. I will be sending photos to the state police dept and all surrounding newspapers of the HEROIC COPS that did the bust!
This is funny considering I went to williamsburg highschool and cumberland after and all the cops are known for buying, doing and selling drugs! I have photos as a matter of fact..lol. Cumberland is stupid and do not care about anyone just the money that high officials can pocket! They dont care about the fact that this will destroy these kids lifes! Instead of trying to reach out and help them they call unite to bust them and ruin any chance of them having a future! I guess they had run out of drama in the small town of williamsburg and needed to create something to talk about. I will be sending photos to the state police dept and all surrounding newspapers of the HEROIC COPS that did the bust!
On the subject of the williamburg cops being dirty, the cop in the picture actually hit on me and 3 of my friends after we were in a minor wreck. He actually made a comment on the skirt I was wearing and said something about my legs, he then went on to comment about my friends boobs and took her phone from her in a flirty way to make sure that “no other guys were texting her”….we all made it very clear that we werent interested in him and very uncomfortable by the situation. The same cop in the picture and one other also came to a party that I was at and hit on me again, because one of my friends was sitting in my car and he thought it was being broken into because he knew whos car it was. Im sure if the snitch had tried to frame any girls the cops would’ve treated the situation a little different.
On the subject of the williamburg cops being dirty, the cop in the picture actually hit on me and 3 of my friends after we were in a minor wreck. He actually made a comment on the skirt I was wearing and said something about my legs, he then went on to comment about my friends boobs and took her phone from her in a flirty way to make sure that “no other guys were texting her”….we all made it very clear that we werent interested in him and very uncomfortable by the situation. The same cop in the picture and one other also came to a party that I was at and hit on me again, because one of my friends was sitting in my car and he thought it was being broken into because he knew whos car it was. Im sure if the snitch had tried to frame any girls the cops would’ve treated the situation a little different.
Also,
To what Dr Colgrove stated in the above article is ridiculous
“Hopefully, the message is that we care out our students. We want to make sure that they have the best possible environment to study in, to live and learn in, and that is what we are committed to,”
What a huge message he is sending indeed. He would rather have good, intelligent, upstanding students be arrested on suspisions of drug trafficking than have a known thief. How is this attempting to send the message that UC cares about its students? Since when has theft been for the good of students? Since when has allowing students to be harassed by officers of the law been for the good of the students. Where I come from we look to the law enforcement individuals to do exactly that, ENFORCE LAWS, not arrest innocent individuals while allowing the true guilty parties to walk free. Students at UC despise the corrupt Williamsburg Police Force due to their unethical behavior and arrogant attitudes. I know I am not alone when I say that the whole community as a whole would be better if the whole police force was overhauled as there is no way it could get any dirtier than the drug-using, student harassing officers currently being employed today.
Not 2 months ago 16 students were arrested attempting to re-enter campus. One of my good friends was among them. Not only were these students arrested but they were harassed by the arresting officers who swore at them and proceeded to attempt to give them far harsher charges than they should have been guilty of. Luckily none of the charges stuck as EVERY student arrested that night had their case dismissed. The officers in Williamsburg arrest anyone simply to get the bail money whether they have a legitimate reason or not.
Overall UC and Williamsburg as a whole is a unethical and corrupt place where you get ahead simply by stabbing others in the back. And sadly the University condones this sort of behavior. It sickens me to witness this but hopefully this will be the straw that breaks the camels back. UC and the officers in Williamsburg should be dealt with. There needs to be justice where currently there is only intimidation and corruption.
First off this whole situation is absolutely ridiculous. I have been a student at the school for 3 years and in my time there I have seen some of the dirtiest dealings in my entire life. I grew up in a small town such as Williamsburg but never would have imagined such a small “Christian” town could be so unbelievably corrupt. I have been to get-togethers and parties (At least at UC they would be deemed parties) where one officer in particular has repeatedly shown up and drank and joked with the students in attendence. I have also heard from numerous sources of an officer propositioning a female student for sex in turn for not giving a citation. Many of the students arrested were my close friends and never have I ever witnessed them doing any misdeeds or even performing questionable activities. As Student has said Ronnie Hawkins is known throughout the campus as a thief and a druguser/dealer. He framed and ratted on kids in order to save himself a prison sentence. I witnessed first hand him attempting to get into one of the arrested students rooms by claiming to be him saying he had “Locked his keys in his room” Luckily the RA did not believe his story.
The most ridiculous part of this whole situation by far is that the college does routine drug searches at the school. If they had had any suspicions concerning the students why had they not proceeded to do a search of their rooms? And why did they only act after having a known druguser and thief, worried about his own potential arrest, inform them of the supposed dealings. This whole situation stinks of Williamsburg and just solidifies my thoughts and disgust for the school. If the school had an cares or concerns for the students and their well-being would they not have looked into the situation themselves rather than following the lead of Ronnie Hawkins.
What sort of justice does this teach anyone at this institution? That you can steal, deal, and use drugs as long as you have a fall guy or in this case a fall group? For UC to allow this individual to walk at graduation is absolutely ridiculous. I guess what this “Christian” school is attempting to tell students is that it is fine to use and deal drugs and steal from your peers AS LONG as you are willing to narc on innocent individuals in order to create a “safe” environment for other students. Last I heard even if the alleged charges for the arrests are true drug trafficking (at least on the level it was supposedly at at the university) is a victimless crime. Theft on the otherhand is not. For students to get arrested and have an entire semester if not an entire college career wasted based on the word of a notorious drug user and thief is crazy.
oh and a thief!! but I guess you are okay with stealing right??
Dear PLEEEEEESSSSSEEEEE!!!! First of all if you want to call someone an idiot check your spelling and get back to me (PLEASE!) But your right about one thing, anyone caught should be embarrased, so why is Ronnie Hawkins (THE SNITCH) able to graduate, and in no trouble? He stole off of a lot of people on campus, including almost ALL of the guys he framed, these guys arent even drug dealers. But doesnt Ronnie SELL suboxins, and doesnt Ronnie DO Roxies and suboxins, and smoke weed? YA HE DOES, I know him personally and I know all of the people that got arrested personally and if anyone deserves to be in trouble its RONNIE HAWKINS because he does pills and sells pills and is a snitch!!!
Some of these students are some of the nicest and most courteous students on campus and at least one of these students was set to graduate this weekend. Huge mistake on their part for ever allowing this to become part of their life, but it will be a life lesson for them I am sure. A student who was jailed 2 mths ago, and who I might add is out bragging about how he is coming back to UC as a student this summer, gets out of his sentence from stealing $100s worth of things from other students by ratting on these students here. What most people out in town don’t know is that around campus it is known that he, himself, had drug problems and was “lucky” to have just been caught for being a thief. Guess the school really needs one of their big football scholarship students back next year to make sure they win another championship, at the expense of him ratting out other ones doing the same type of things. I agree with someone above, interesting how only the black students get “within 1000 yrds of school”.
I believe that some of the posters who purport to be UC students are imposters given the poor grammar, spelling and diction. UC is not an Ivy League college, but its standards are above the level indicated by the ignorant posts which are sub-Ebonics to say the least.
Yeah i agree with you about not having the full story told. Im a UC student and know a lot of the guys too and they are all good people. I also know the snitch, and have had class with him. He is a terrible student and has a personality to match. I dont know about everyone else but I would rather have people dealing pot and a couple pills than having someone who steals peoples stuff for drugs, gets caught, narcs, and gets away without being in any trouble. Oh, he’s still able to graduate… I dont know, but this seems kinda wrong… And the Williamsburg police department is a more than joke. Since the school runs the town, they dont have anything better to do than bother students. After all it does get pretty boring sitting in Butch’s and Shell’s parking lot talking to each other eating donuts at night. All the students know what im talking about. Everyone around here knows how worthless they are, and they also know whats going to happen to the drugs they took. They are going to use them and get high, but then again thats nothing new for them. Im just glad they focused so much effort on getting the weed off the campus instead of busting the meth labs and crack houses down the street. It is understandable that they dont bust the local drug dealers, cause if they arrest their own dealers then they have anyone to buy from. Maybe UNITE should investigate the police department. I hope this bust runs the school and the whole town into the ground, well further than it already is.
wow. yes cumberland way to go! NOT! Yes, let kick fifteen kids out of school & get them arrested on felony drug charges. Way to be Christian. During finals. Right before they did go home, just to get attention. This, Cumberland’s holier than thou attitude, is EXACTLY why i didn’t go there. Cumberland is the WORST example of Christians. They should have got these guys help. NOT ruined their lives.
wow. yes cumberland way to go! NOT! Yes, let kick fifteen kids out of school & get them arrested on felony drug charges. Way to be Christian. During finals. Right before they did go home, just to get attention. This, Cumberland’s holier than thou attitude, is EXACTLY why i didn’t go there. Cumberland is the WORST example of Christians. They should have got these guys help. NOT ruined their lives.
Cumberland is a joke anyway. It puts forth the worst possible image of what a Christian is supposed to be. The whole campus is a perverted version of what they portray. Not to mention the Whitley County Police Department is a joke too. But what can you expect from a bunch of rednecks lol good job guys!!! Lmao
Cumberland is a joke anyway. It puts forth the worst possible image of what a Christian is supposed to be. The whole campus is a perverted version of what they portray. Not to mention the Whitley County Police Department is a joke too. But what can you expect from a bunch of rednecks lol good job guys!!! Lmao
Cumberland is a joke anyway. It puts forth the worst possible image of what a Christian is supposed to be. The whole campus is a perverted version of what they portray. Not to mention the Whitley County Police Department is a joke too. But what can you expect from a bunch of rednecks lol good job guys!!! Lmao
I believe that it doesn’t matter if they are white or black but those of which are athletes will be the ones getting away with it because the school will lose money because they lost some of their STAR players in this. I wouldn’t be surprised about that at all. All that matters to UC is the money, and it probably will always be like that unfortunately
So all the cops framed everyone and made them do drugs…….sure. Try living in a different state and you will see who sells the drugs…..ohh and by the way jails are full of minorities.
Dearest student, you are an idiot! Anyone caught selling, doing, making, promoting drug use in any way deserves all the humiliation and embarrassment that they get! It’s not amusement that we get from reading about drug sellers getting caught – it’s gratitude to our local police departments for getting these criminals off the streets. Make no mistake – that’s exactly what they are. Good job UofC for calling in the cops and Unite! Good job W’burg City Police and Unite!! Keep it up.
How is anything about this situation great? I’m sure that if that was a picture of you or someone that you love you wouldn’t be saying that it’s great. I want to start by saying that the news didn’t give the whole story, they never do. All of these boys were turned in because the “undercover” source got caught stealing from a lot of other students on campus and then stole from most of the boys that were arrested and framed them before they had a chance to do anything about it. However because the boy turned all of these other boys in he didn’t get in trouble for stealing. Isn’t this supposed to be a safe campus? I know most of the boys that got arrested personally and they are some of the nicest people that you will meet, but just like everyone else they have made some mistakes. The difference is that their mistakes have been made public. So next time before you say that someones embarrasment is great you should think about how little you know about the person and the situation. Not to mention that, that is someones loved one that you are getting your amusement from. Also keep in mind that the safe campus you think you live on is corrupt and twisted.
The picture of the guy hiding his face is great!!