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Subscribe to RSSCorrection: An earlier version of this post, citing Fort Worth police, incorrectly identified a former student who was arrested. Austin Williams Carpenter, 26, is not involved in the case, NBCDFW.com reported.
Original post: Seventeen students, including four football players, were arrested early Wednesday in a drug bust at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, school officials said.
At a news conference, officials said those arrested sold drugs to undercover narcotics officers both on and off campus during a six-month investigation.
"There is no doubt all of those arrested today are drug dealers," said Steve McGee, TCU chief of police, according to NBCDFW.com. "These individuals engaged in hand-to-hand delivery, for money, with undercover narcotics agents."
Read original story on NBCDFW.com
Among those arrested were football players David (D.J.) W. Yendrey, a junior defensive tackle from Edna, Texas; Devin Johnson, a junior defensive back from Oklahoma City, Okla.; Tanner Wilson Brock, Jr., a junior linebacker from Copperas Cove, Texas; and Tyler (Ty) Horn, a sophomore offensive tackle from McGregor, Texas, according to documents released Wednesday.
In a statement, TCU head football coach Gary Patterson said, "There are days people want to be a head football coach, but today is not one of those days. As I heard the news this morning, I was first shocked, then hurt and now I'm mad.”
“Drugs and drug use by TCU's student-athletes will not be tolerated by me or any member of my coaching staff. Period,” he said.
TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. said the busts aren’t just a football problem, but also a student problem, and that it was shocking and disappointing to learn of the investigation and arrests.
In a letter to students earlier in the morning, Boschini said that the school has never experienced a magnitude of student arrests such as this. The arrested students were taken off campus and are subject to expulsion, he said.
Read the letter from TCU chancellor on NBCDFW.com
McGee said the investigation began six months ago after multiple tips were received from students and parents.
The police chief said those arrested were selling marijuana, cocaine, “Molly” (ecstasy in powder form), ecstasy in pill form, acid (LSD) and prescription drugs including Xanax, hydrocodone and others similar to OxyContin.
On its website, NBCDFW.com listed the other 13 students who were arrested as: Bud Pollard Dillard, Cynthia (Cindy) Jaqueline Zambrano, Earl Patrick Burke, Hunter Wallace McLaughlin, Jonathan Blake Jones (not to be confused with the Jonathan Jones who is on the football team), Katherine Ann Peitre, Matthew Iarossi Davis, Michael Gragg King, Peter Signavong, Richard Clay Putney, Scott (Scooter) Lee Anderson, Taylor Davis Cowdin and William (Will) Davis Jennings.
Lisa Albert, TCU's director of communications, confirmed to msnbc.com that 17 current students had been arrested. Also arrested were two former students, NBCDFW.com reported.
Investigators are still working to determine if those arrested were working in small groups or together and with what suppliers, reported NBCDFW.com. Officials said the investigation is ongoing and that more arrests are possible.
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