Charges against student spark protest

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue students are protesting a fellow student's arrest on preliminary charges of terroristic mischief. 

A group of students held up signs and passed out flyers in hopes that Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington will drop charges against Roy Sun. 

Sun was arrested last Thursday, after a package described in a Purdue news release as "suspicious" was found at the Visitor Information Center.  The building was evacuated while the box was examined. The box was found to contain a wheel lock, parking ticket and $20. 

Protest organizer Wesley Allen said even though he doesn't know Sun personally, he believes Sun was not trying to cause harm to anyone.

"I'm just here because I figured these charges or accusations are ridiculous.  And if something like that happened to me I would hope that somebody would come out and protest that as well," said Allen.

Police said terroristic mischief is when a person knowingly or intentionally places a device with the intent to cause a reasonable person to believe that it is a weapon of mass destruction.

Sun could face up to 8 years in prison if he's found guilty of the crime.