E.Z. Smith and Mike Sothern, both members of the 2004 Penn State football team, were issued criminal mischief citations Tuesday for their involvement in a January bow-and-arrow incident, according to court documents filed at the office of District Justice Carmine Prestia.

Summary charges initially filed against football players Scott Paxson and Tyler Reed as a result of the incident, in which arrows were fired through a wall in Nittany Apartments Building 33, were dropped on April 5, according to Penn State University Police Supervisor Dwight Smith.

A criminal complaint filed as a result of the investigation stated that a resident of the apartment adjoining Paxson and Reed's heard about 20 loud bangs on her kitchen wall around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 29. According to the complaint, when she went downstairs, she saw an arrow sticking through the wall.

At 12:28 p.m. on Jan. 29, two university police officers responding to the incident were permitted to enter the Building 33 apartment of Paxson and Reed where the arrows had been shot. According to the complaint, the officer saw a bow belonging to Reed and 34 arrow holes in the apartment wall.

On March 22, Paxson and Reed were issued criminal mischief citations and ordered to pay $700 in restitution.

According to court documents, Paxson and Reed went to university police with their lawyer, Peter Carfley, on March 25, nearly two months after the incident had occurred and three days after charges had been filed against them.

At that time, Paxson and Reed told police that they heard E.Z. Smith and Sothern admit to repeatedly shooting the arrows at and through the wall of the apartment, court documents stated.

Also on that date, FightOnState.com first reported that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno had suspended Paxson and Reed -- along with Andrew Richardson, also of Building 33, and E.Z. Smith, of 924 Bellaire Ave. -- from participating in spring practice.

"From the time we filed the citation, we kept getting new information," Dwight Smith said. "The investigation was ongoing, and that led to the original citations being dropped and the new citations being filed."

The Office of Judicial Affairs has already issued deferred expulsions to E.Z. Smith and Sothern through the conclusion of the summer sessions, according to an April 8 university press release.

The ruling also stipulated that the two would be off the team effective immediately, but would be allowed to finish their current semester coursework.

According to Penn State Sports Information Director Jeff Nelson, E.Z. Smith would be eligible to return to the team for the fall 2005 semester season if he meets conditions placed him by the team and continues to make practice toward graduation.

On April 8, Nelson also said Paxson, Richardson and Reed -- who were cleared of charges by Judicial Affairs -- would be allowed back on the team under "strict conditions in order to continue to be in good standing with the football program."

Nelson added that Sothern has not been on the roster all spring and is not expected to return to the team.

Sothern was not available for comment last night, and E.Z. Smith has previously declined all comment to The Daily Collegian.

E.Z. Smith started every game at center last season after sitting out the 2003 campaign for disciplinary reasons.

Sothern played in eight games as a backup linebacker last fall, primarily seeing time on special teams.