A 23-year-old Pennsylvania woman and a 23-year-old male, who is a former Penn State student, were arraigned yesterday on multiple charges of involvement with the suspected multi-million dollar drug ring that operated in State College during the 1998 to 1999 school year.
The two arraignments are part of the Centre County Drug Task Force's search for 12 people who allegedly distributed Ecstasy, marijuana and cocaine in State College and throughout the fraternity system during that time. Since the warrants were issued earlier this month, six people have been arraigned, five of which are former Penn State students.
Arraigned yesterday, Nicole Taylor and Brian Wittig both face charges of criminal conspiracy in distributing the drug Ecstasy in the State College area. Wittig is also charged with possession and delivery of one-quarter pound of marijuana.
Taylor faces 12 counts of possession with intent to deliver and 12 counts of delivery for allegedly delivering 40 pills of Ecstasy on four occasions and delivering about 100 pills of Ecstasy on eight occasions, according to the police report.
Taylor is also linked to former Penn State student Oleg "Alex" Logatchev in the police report, who was indicted in Pittsburgh on federal drug charges last week along with five other men, one being another former student Jeremy Crouse.
Logatchev and Crouse are suspected of trafficking an estimated 56 ounces of cocaine and 98,000 pills of Ecstasy valued at about $2 million in State College, according to the police report.
Taylor and Wittig are both mentioned in police reports as obtaining drugs through Logatchev and Crouse. According to the report, Taylor was Logatchev's girlfriend, and began selling Ecstasy in the Altoona area at the beginning of the Spring 1999 semester. At one point, the report said, she was selling 1,000 pills per week.
When she began distributing pills in State College, she allegedly supplied Jacob Rosen, a Penn State graduate arraigned last week on charges of criminal conspiracy and possession with intent to deliver Ecstasy.
During Fall 1998, Rosen was reportedly receiving deliveries of 400 Ecstasy pills and four to five ounces of cocaine per week at Pi Lambda Phi, 321 Fraternity Row. That spring, these quantities allegedly doubled according to the police report.
In May of 1999, Wittig allegedly told a confidential informant that Taylor was supplying him with Ecstasy pills, which she reportedly obtained from Logatchev.
Through the summer of 1999, Taylor was supplying Wittig with pills, according to the report. Wittig's alleged involvement with former Penn State student David Caris, arraigned Monday, was established at this time.
From surveillance reports at Wittig's West College Avenue residence in May, he allegedly sold 10 pills of Ecstasy for a cost of $200. Later that month, Wittig sold another 10 pills of Ecstasy that he said he obtained from "Nicole" -- believed to be Taylor, according to the report.
In June 1999, Wittig was linked with the sales of one-quarter pound of marijuana and another 10 pills of Ecstasy. The marijuana sale was connected with his then-roommate David Apple, and was reportedly at their 817 W. College Ave. address. The 10-pill Ecstasy sale is connected with Caris. Both Apple and Caris were arraigned Monday on these charges.
The State College Police Department executed a search warrant on Wittig's local residence in July 1999 and found one Sentry safe, three glass pipes, 99 pills of Ecstasy and 103 pills of dextromethorphan, according to the report.
Also arraigned Monday, Alan Trub allegedly received weekly deliveries from Logatchev and Crouse of 150 to 200 pills of Ecstasy and one ounce of cocaine at Beta Sigma Beta, 255 E. Fairmount Ave.
As for locating the remaining suspects, Sgt. Dana Leonard said, "There's nothing to indicate that they're hiding."
One suspect is expected to surrender within the next few days, and Leonard said the police department is in the process of locating the remaining few.
"It's just a matter of tracking them down," Leonard said.
