Saturday, November 21, 2009

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Andover man arrested at Purdue University

ANDOVER, Mass. -- A college student from Andover is in custody after his attempt to pay a parking ticket turned into accusations of terrorism.

Roy Sun, a 21-year old student at Purdue's College of Engineering, caused an evacuation of Purdue University's visitor center and could now face serious charges as well as jail time.

Sun has been booked in Indiana on preliminary charges of terroristic mischief and possession of stolen property.

Last week, Purdue Parking Services wrote Sun a parking ticket and placed a wheel lock on his car for allegedly using a parking permit that didn't belong to him.

According to police, the next day Sun dropped a box off at the Parking Services building and some believed that it may have been a suspicious package.

"In this day and age, we have to be very careful about packages that are left lying around, especially in a situation like this," said Jeanne Norberg, a Purdue University spokesperson.

After evacuating the building, police found the wheel lock, the ticket, and $20 inside the box.

Due to the fact that police thought the box could have been a weapon of mass destruction, Sun could face serious charges, such as terroristic mischief. Police say terroristic mischief is when an individual leaves something that a reasonable person may think is a weapon of mass destruction.

Many Purdue students are saying that the charges against Sun should be dropped. When students heard Sun's story, some started a Facebook page in an attempt to free him.

"He left money and his name and all of his information in the box. Nobody knows how in the world someone who is trying to pay a parking ticket could get charged and arrested...People are saying this is showing how this country has gone completely insane," said a Purdue student.

Prosecutors will decide next week if there is enough evidence for the charges facing Sun to stick. If they do, he could face serious fines and jail time.

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