Residents of a downtown apartment where an assault occurred last weekend that allegedly involved Penn State football players said they woke up yesterday morning to find an anonymous letter slipped under their door.
The letter asked that the residents not press charges in connection with the incident, saying doing so would "punish the entire student body and alumni." A copy of the letter was obtained by The Daily Collegian yesterday.
Penn State is considering the letter an attempt to intimidate a crime victim and has contacted the State College Police Department, university spokesman Bill Mahon said. The apartment residents brought the letter to the Office of Judicial Affairs yesterday.
"We're concerned about the letter," Mahon said. "We turned it over to borough police, and they're investigating this."
The letter, which encouraged the residents "to seek out the football department and ask for a formal meeting" with the alleged attackers to discuss the incident, was signed by "The voice of the Penn State student body."
The letter also said "what [the
alleged attackers] did was wrong, and now you can show them the mercy they failed to show you" and that pursuing legal charges will lead to a "long legal battle."
"We have nothing but time to pursue this to the fullest extent," said Joseph McGarrity (sophomore-international politics), one of the four residents.
Though the letter was not printed on university letterhead, it listed Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley's contact information and encouraged the recipients to set up a meeting. Curley did not respond to multiple interview requests by press time yesterday.
"[The letter] was definitely trying to persuade us to drop the charges and not pursue it legally in any way," McGarrity said. "It wasn't threatening...[but] they tried to guilt us and make us into feeling we're doing something wrong."
In the past few days, Penn State football-related Internet message boards have been fixated on the issue, with some posters criticizing those who went to the police. One Web site had the names and university e-mail addresses of two of the students involved with the investigation. That post was removed a few hours later.
Residents said they have not received harassing e-mails, however.
Police said 11 or 12 men forced their way into McGarrity's third-floor apartment at Meridian II, 646 E. College Ave., and assaulted several men who were attending a party early Sunday morning. Police have said the assault was related to a confrontation that occurred at the intersection of High Street and East College Avenue late Saturday night.
Tom King, State College's chief of police, said yesterday that he estimated it would be at least seven to 10 days before an official action will be taken. On Wednesday, police said almost all individuals involved in the incident had been interviewed. No one has been charged in the incident.
The next step, King said, will be to present the department's findings to Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira.
"We'll be ready to meet with him next week," King said.
Lt. John Gardner said Tuesday that the men who entered the apartment and engaged in the fight could face burglary, simple assault, criminal trespass and criminal mischief charges.
Several partygoers told The Collegian they identified football players to police as part of the group that forcibly entered the apartment. Mahon said the Judicial Affairs office hasn't questioned any members of the football team in connection with this incident -- only the victims and some members of their families.
