Penn St. players charged with marijuana possession

[September 18, 2008]  STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Two suspended Penn State football players were charged with one count each of possession of a small amount of marijuana.

University police filed the misdemeanor charges Wednesday against defensive linemen Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma, who have been held out of the last two games by coach Joe Paterno.

Police said officers searched the players' apartment after responding to a call about loud noise on Sept. 2. Investigators said in court papers that they found "three small clear plastic baggies containing marijuana" and a "burnt roach" in Evans' room, and a "burnt roach" in Koroma's room.

The cutoff for the charge of possession of a small amount of marijuana is 30 grams. Penn State assistant police chief Thomas Sowerby said the amount associated with the charges against Evans and Koroma was roughly "less than a gram per person."

The charges were mailed to Evans and Koroma, District Judge Carmine Prestia's office said. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 22.

Paterno suspended Evans, 20, of New York, and Koroma, 20, of Burtonsville, Md., prior to the Sept. 6 game against Oregon State for an undisclosed off-field issue and the two haven't been on the team's depth chart the last two weeks. Paterno declined to answer questions about them at his weekly news conference Tuesday.

There was no change in the players' status Wednesday, team spokesman Jeff Nelson said. The Nittany Lions (3-0) face Temple on Saturday.

Evans, a junior, led Penn State with 12.5 sacks last season. He and Koroma, a sophomore, each started the season-opening victory over Coastal Carolina.

[Associated Press; By GENARO C. ARMAS]

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