A State College man was arrested on February 8 after attempting to enter several student dormitories in Hartranft Hall at Penn State. Musa Elsaid was accused of one third-degree felony of criminal trespass, one first-degree misdemeanor of corruption of minors, and one third-degree misdemeanor of disorderly conduct.

According to an affidavit, police were called to Hartranft Hall after receiving reports of two men knocking on residents’ doors. When police arrived, Elsaid and another man exited the elevator in front of them and were questioned by police. Police identified Elsaid by his Pennsylvania driver’s license and identified the second man as a minor.

Police said neither man knew any residents in the building. When Elsaid provided officers with someone’s phone number, the person answering said they had just met Elsaid and didn’t know him. That person said Elsaid knocked on his door and gave him a made-up story about his car breaking down and that Elsaid and the other man needed help.

According to police, Elsaid and the other man did this with residents on the second, fourth, and fifth floors of Hartranft Hall. Elsaid attempted to stay with those residents and when they denied him entry into their rooms, he pressed the matter and said he could sleep on the floor.

According to the affidavit, officers reviewed security footage and found Elsaid and the other man entered Hartranft Hall with another group. After Elsaid pointed out individuals he identified as friends, those individuals all denied knowing Elsaid.

Elsaid’s case was waived to the Court of Common Pleas on February 13.

About the Author

Joe Lister

Joe, shockingly, was Onward State's managing editor from 2024-25. It was an honor. He's off employed doing journalism things, hopefully. If you want to complain about anything he's ever written, you can find him on Twitter (iamjoelister), email (jlister2021@gmail.com), or Signal (iamjoelister.93).

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