FSU Student Charged With Alleged On-Campus Assault and Robbery

On Feb. 2, 2018, Frostburg State first-year student Jerry Page, 19, was allegedly involved in an assault and robbery on the FSU campus near Cumberland Hall, according to public case records from the District Court of Maryland for Allegany County obtained by The Bottom Line.  The records show that Page was arrested and charged with robbery, theft less than $100.00, second degree assault, unlawful attempt to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, and possession of marijuana in an amount greater than 10 grams.

The summary of events according to police investigators, which can be found in court records (Case number: D-121-CR-18-000199), presents the following account of the alleged events leading to the arrest and charging of Jerry Wallace Page.

At some time on or around Feb. 2, Page met an unnamed man at 7/11 in Frostburg and offered to sell him drugs. Page, going by the name “JP” to the unnamed man, gave him a phone number, and the pair agreed to meet later on the Frostburg campus at approximately 2 a.m. on Feb. 2. Upon meeting between Cumberland Hall and Annapolis Hall, Page presented a gram of marijuana as the unnamed man produced two $5 bills. Then, Page allegedly punched the unnamed man in the face, took the two $5 bills and ran to Cumberland Hall. The unnamed man caught Page and struggled with him briefly before Page got away into the dorm.

The officer assigned to handle the matter was able to locate Page by running a search for the initials “JP” in the Cumberland Hall directory. The officer also noted that the phone number listed was the same number that Page gave  the unnamed man at 7/11.

Page allowed the officer into his residence hall room and informed the officer that a fight had occurred but no robbery had taken place. The officer noticed that Page had “JP” tattooed on the back of his arms, and also noticed Page look at a pair of jeans lying on his bed. Security camera footage showed Page wearing jeans just after the robbery occurred.  After Page refused to stop touching something in his left pocket, the officer conducted a pat down of Page out of concern for his safety.  At this time, Page threw a hitter piece containing burnt marijuana from his pocket.

When police backup arrived, the initial officer executed a consent search of Page’s belongings, where he found two $5 bills in the jeans on the bed. The officer also found a backpack in Page’s closet containing a digital scale with suspected marijuana residue on it and 116 grams of a substance, later confirmed to be marijuana, in a clear plastic bag. Court records indicate that police believe Page offered to sell the unnamed man 1 ounce of marijuana for $200.

According to court records, following being arrested and charged, Page was later released on his own personal recognizance. His court hearing is set for Mar. 2, 2018, at the Maryland District courthouse in Cumberland, Md. Page is being represented by attorney Stephen R. Tully. When reached by The Bottom Line for comment, Mr. Tully said that he had reviewed the case closely, and he speculated that a number of the charges against Page would be dropped.

Archived versions of the Frostburg State athletics website indicate that Page was at one point a member of the FSU football program.  However, he is no longer listed on the website or official roster, and FSU head football coach Delane Fitzgerald confirmed that Page is no longer a part of the program.  Fitzgerald could not recall the exact date of Page’s departure from the program, but estimated it to be some time during the fall 2017 semester.

The Bottom Line also reached out to Sgt. J.T. McCumber of the FSU Police Department, whom court documents indicate was the officer who initially made contact with Page and searched his residence hall room, for comment. Sgt. McCumber replied, and stated that he had no comments in reference to this case.