Exactly five months after police say they found two Penn State football players in possession of a small amount of marijuana, Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma were placed Monday on Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD), Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira said.
Both were charged Sept. 17 with possessing a small amount of marijuana after police responded Sept. 2 to a report of loud music coming from a Nittany Apartments residence.
Police noticed a strong smell of marijuana permeating the residence and returned later that night with a search warrant, which led to the discovery of the marijuana, according to court documents.
In ARD, the defendant's charges are usually expunged from their criminal record upon completion of the program, according to state code.
"This is a fairly standard offer that we make in small amount of marijuana cases," Madeira said. "It doesn't matter who they are."
Because ARD is a typical arrangement, it was not difficult for an agreement to be reached, Madeira said.
The players, both defensive lineman, were suspended from the team shortly after the incident and missed three games before returning for Penn State's Big Ten opener against Illinois on Sept. 27.
Koroma, who will be a junior for the 2009 season, finished the season with 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Evans, a preseason All-American, was benched in favor of Aaron Maybin at the time of the suspension and never settled into the role he had in 2007 when he ended the season with 12.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss.
Evans declared for the NFL draft despite what some considered a down season -- he finished with 34 tackles and three sacks.
Scout.com NFL draft analyst Chris Steuber has projected Evans as a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick.
Evans is now training at a facility in Lancaster with a number of former Nittany Lions, including Maybin.
-- Collegian Staff Writer Josh Langenbacher contributed to this report.
