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If found guilty of some or all of the serious charges filed against them, leaders of an alleged Penn State University drug ring should be shown no mercy by the judicial system unless ...
Unless they divulge identities of those in New York and Philadelphia who supplied the drugs that the ring peddled, apparently to hook as many PSU students as possible.
Fearing their safety, going forward, though, it's unlikely that they'll reveal that information, but who can say for sure.
Meanwhile, the university has some important decisions to make regarding the fraternities to which the leaders belonged -- or to any others to which those arrested might in some way be connected.
More than a dozen arrests have been made related to the drug ring's criminal dealings. However, the investigation that produced the arrests should be far from over, considering all that transpired.
The ring's operations encompassed large quantities of cocaine that, upon being transported to State College, allegedly were broken down and distributed mainly to PSU students.
It would seem that the parents of students who were at the State College campus at the time the ring was operating in 2023 and 2024 should be asking their sons and daughters what they might have witnessed -- or what rumors they might have heard.
All considered, it's reasonable to believe that this case could -- should -- have a long, active "shelf life." It's reasonable to believe that there is much information "out there" that needs to be uncovered.
Meanwhile, many parents whose sons and/or daughters are beginning their studies at the PSU main campus this late summer, as well as parents of those who have begun attending the university's branch campuses, might be feeling uneasy about what might lie ahead, especially if their sons or daughters have expressed a desire to become part of fraternity or sorority life.
It's going to be a long time before the general public, especially in and around Centre County, does not recognize the names Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon as having had members tied to the big cocaine distribution network that, despite having operated in the past, has cast a troublesome shadow on this PSU academic year.
Parental concern is justified, all considered.
Primary among the "all considered" is that perhaps hundreds of PSU students -- even if only by word of mouth -- were aware of what was going on long before the investigation began but remained silent.
There has been no formal announcement that more arrests are imminent. Nevertheless, crime spanning more than a year opens up many possibilities.
As an article in the Mirror's Aug. 18 edition reported, "the investigation began in September 2024, when police used confidential informants to make controlled purchases of cocaine from Thomas Robinson, 23, of Pittsburgh and a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity.
"After Robinson's arrest, he identified (Agostino) Abbatiello (24, of Westbury, N.Y.) as his primary supplier."
Arrests of the others allegedly involved followed. Among those others was Paul Robinson, 59, of Pittsburgh, Thomas Robinson's father, who faces a number of charges related to concealing evidence and attempting to obstruct the investigation.
Thirteen of the charged defendants were Penn State students at or around the time of the alleged criminal conduct in 2023 and 2024.
All of what occurred necessitates a tough stance by the university. Meanwhile, consider how far the headlines might extend if Abbatiello and/or Thomas Robinson choose to "sing" to authorities.