Grace Paulovich also contributed to this story.

Update, 11:32 a.m.

All eight defendants charged with misdemeanors in the alleged Penn State drug trafficking ring have waived their preliminary hearings, the Office of the Attorney General announced in a news release.

The next step for Charlie Weisman, Michael Brongo, Kyle Ridpath, Seth Beardsley, and Liam Smith is a formal arraignment in county court.

The eight defendants were all scheduled for a preliminary hearing in the Centre County Courthouse Wednesday.

Original Story

Three defendants in the alleged Penn State drug trafficking ring waived their preliminary hearings at the Centre County Courthouse on Wednesday and are headed to trial.

Kaden Howe, Daniel Price, and Connor Hurleigh waived their preliminary hearings to move forward after they were scheduled for 8:30 a.m. 

All three are facing misdemeanor counts of drug possession and paraphernalia after 13 current and former Penn State students were charged in connection with a cocaine ring that primarily ran out of two off-campus fraternity houses.

Howe was a member of Acacia, however, the third fraternity implicated.

According to the grand jury presentment, Howe bought cocaine from Mohammed Huraibi, a member of Delta Upsilon and one of the early members of the drug trafficking ring, on multiple occasions.

At first, Howe purchased smaller amounts for personal use, but Huraibi claimed that on a few occasions Howe “purchased larger amounts of cocaine to sell at his fraternity.”

Former Delta Upsilon member Hurleigh also allegedly bought bags of cocaine, but from one of the alleged ringleaders of the operation, Thomas Robinson. According to court documents, Hurleigh’s purchases allegedly began in August 2024.

The three defendants were released on their own recognizance, allowing them to remain free while their cases proceed.

The defendants must follow all conditions, including appearing at all court dates, obtaining orders from all bail authority, and staying out of criminal activity. The next trial is the criminal pretrial conference, set for January 11 at 8 a.m.

Charlie Weisman, Michael Brongo, Kyle Ridpath, Seth Beardsley, and Liam Smith are still set to have preliminary hearings at the Centre County Courthouse Wednesday at 1 p.m.

The five are also part of the eight former and current Penn State students facing misdemeanors involved with the alleged drug operation.

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