Student charged with possession of marijuana, prescription drugs

An undergraduate student was arrested by the University's Department of Public Safety and charged with drug possession on Sunday night.

Thomas Fellowes ’14 was arrested by DPS after officers allegedly found marijuana and prescription drugs in his dorm room, University Spokesperson Martin Mbugua said Thursday. The incident was reported in DPS's daily crime log, which the department is required to publish according to the federal Clery Act.

Fellowes did not respond to requests for comment; an email and a voicemail went unreturned Thursday.

DPS officers were sent to Cuyler Hall at 10 p.m. on Sunday in response to reports of a water leak in the building, Mbugua said. Upon entering the building, the officers noticed the smell of suspected marijuana near the door of one dorm room, he explained.

Following a search, the officers allegedly found marijuana and three prescription pills in the room. Due to the nature of the charges, the case is now being handled by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, Mbugua said Thursday night.

Mbugua declined to specify the amount of marijuana that was allegedly found in the room. He deferred further inquiries to the Prosecutor's Office.

This is the second drug violation reported in the last week, according to the crime log. On Jan. 30, another drug violation was reported in 1937 Hall. However, the case was declared closed, and the report did not indicate whether any arrest was made.

Fellowes is a chemistry concentrator and a member of the varsity swim team and helped lead the University to its fifth straight Ivy League swimming title last year.

Fellowes is the second student to be charged with drug possession this academic year, according to the daily crime log. In September, a freshman was arrested for alleged possession of ecstasy after a plastic bag containing the drug was found in his room. According to Mbugua, the freshman was allegedly found with 840 milligrams of ecstasy. This amount is the equivalent of around five to eight tablets, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The charges pressed were eventually reduced from possession of controlled dangerous substances to failure to dispose of CDS, and the case was transferred from the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office to the Princeton Municipal Court. Failure to dispose of CDS is a disorderly persons offense under New Jersey State law.

This is also the third drug-related arrest made by DPS in the past year, following the arrest of the freshman and the arrest in April of a Princeton resident, who was allegedly found to have a small amount of marijuana.