A Penn State student is facing felony drug charges after Residence Life staff members allegedly discovered 11 marijuana plants in his Hamilton Hall dorm room.

David J. Collins, 22, of 6000 Nassau Rd., Philadelphia, is facing one felony count each of possession with the intent to deliver and manufacturing of a controlled substance.

He also faces one misdemeanor count each of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Collins was arraigned Thursday before District Justice Jonathan Grine and placed in Centre County Prison on $15,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for tomorrow at Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.

Both Grine and Penn State University Police Supervisor Bill Moerschbacher said the offense would be in violation of Collins' parole in connection with an incident that occurred outside of Pennsylvania.

A "detainer" placed on his record meant he could not post bail without being detained again for the parole violation.

Neither official knew the exact details of Collins' prior infractions, and an official at Centre County Prison said he could not comment about the case.

Moerschbacher said marijuana possession on campus is something police see on a regular basis, but this incident was out of the ordinary.

"That's kind of odd to have people growing [it]," Moerschbacher said. "People tend to realize that growing plants is going to attract attention."

According to court documents, Residence Life personnel discovered the plants during an inspection of the room prior to spring break. The checks are routine for staff before breaks.

When they entered the room, they discovered a light coming from inside a closet. The door was not completely closed, and several plants could be observed inside, according to the documents.

University police were contacted on March 6, and an officer saw the plants in the closet. He also saw an overturned desk that also appeared to have marijuana growing in it.

According to the documents, the officer obtained a search warrant and seized 11 plants, along with numerous potting containers, soil, plant food, lighting fixtures, plastic baggies, aluminum foil and lighting timers.