Fire officials knocked down door after door in the Alpha Sigma Phi house, searching for a circuit breaker to shut off the house’s power for a dozing fraternity brother unaware of the water surging through the house. Just days after finals wrapped up, a water pipe burst in the house’s empty third floor, flooding down to the floor below.
However, what was initially a response to a fire alarm quickly turned into a drug bust when a university police officer noticed the faint smell of marijuana wafting from one of the open rooms.
Senior economics major Noah Bers was arrested four weeks after the Dec. 20 incident on a felony charge of intent to distribute about more than 200 grams — about $5,000 worth — of marijuana, police said. The inadvertent tipster was Student Government Association President and fraternity brother Aaron Kraus, who shut off the house’s heat, likely causing the pipes to burst.
Bers, a boarder in the house and a former member of Alpha Sigma Phi, said he was booked by police Jan. 13 and faces trial sometime in the next four months.
In addition to the felony charge — which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine — Bers was charged with a misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and common law nuisance disturbance — a charge associated with using a home to commit a crime, said University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell.
The possession charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine, while the paraphernalia charge has a $500 fine for first-time offenders.
After obtaining a search warrant from Prince George’s County, police entered Bers’ room at 9 Fraternity Row and found seeds, pipes, rolling papers, 200 grams of marijuana and 10 grams of mushrooms wrapped in small plastic bags, Atwell said.
“Nothing’s blown over — it’s just starting,” Bers said when reached by phone. He referred further comment to his lawyer.
Bers was a member of the fraternity until he went inactive two years ago, he said. He has remained in the house as a boarder.
The fraternity house suffered extensive flooding on the second and third floors, University Police Capt. John Brandt said.
While the damage was estimated at $25,000, Kraus’ room was relatively unharmed and his computer survived water damage. He lived in Alpha Sigma Phi’s basement while university workers fixed the damaged pipes.
Kraus deflected blame for the accident. Pipes also burst in the neighboring sorority houses of Sigma Kappa and Alpha Epsilon Phi. A member of Sigma Kappa said damage was minimal, with only two rooms affected.
