Charges filed in student's death

Furnishing alcohol to minors charges will be filed against the three 611 Alexander Court roommates who provided alcohol to University junior Leigh Anne Prevatte on Feb. 2, the night she fatally fell from their apartment window, the State College Police Department said in a news release yesterday.

Rob Miller, a resident of 611 Alexander Court, said he and one of his roommates, Wayne Stephens, were not at the party Feb. 2. The other three residents of the apartment -- Jeff Taylor, Caleb (Matt) Hobbie, and Jason Bakes -- were there, Miller said. Miller did not want to comment further.

The toxicology reports, which police recently received from the Centre County Coroner's Office, revealed that Prevatte had a blood alcohol content of .32 percent, three times the legal intoxication limit of .10 percent, according to the news release.

Furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age is a third-degree misdemeanor which carries a penalty of up to 1 year imprisonment and a fine of no less than $1000, police said.

In addition to the furnishing alcohol to minors charges, underage drinking charges will be filed against two of the three roommates, said State College Police Detective Michael McDannel. The third roommate is 21-years-old, McDannel said.

Underage drinking charges will also be filed against a fourth individual who was a guest at the party but did not provide the alcohol, police said.

A first offense for underage drinking is a summary violation with a penalty of up to ninety days imprisonment, a fine of no more than $300 and a driver's license suspension of 90 days, police said.

During a Feb. 2 search of 611 Alexander Court, 309 E. Beaver Ave., police seized a half keg of Busch beer, a near-empty bottle of gin and a marijuana pipe with suspected marijuana residue, police said.

Despite the seizure of the marijuana pipe, police said the toxicology report revealed no evidence of drugs in Prevatte's system.

Carol German, Chairperson of the University Commission for the Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug Abuse, said the commission is finding that anytime people have a very high blood alcohol content, their behavior becomes erratic and accidents occur.

"Binge drinking to the point of intoxication, were you don't have physical control over your body or thought process, is very dangerous," said German. "It isn't the act of drinking that's the culprit or problem, it's binge drinking."