Villanova professor arrested on drug charges

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, March, 2008 | by Edward Colimore, Derrick Nunnally and Diane Mastrull Inquirer Staff Writers

Faculty and students of Villanova University were stunned yesterday by the arrest of a well-liked chemical engineering professor who was charged with selling marijuana to undercover police officers. Authorities twice bought drugs from 48-year-old Edward R. Ritter and later found 19 bags of marijuana in his Upper Providence Township home, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said yesterday.

Ritter was charged Thursday with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Only the third count is a felony. Ritter was freed on bond. News of the arrest caught the school by surprise. An engineering professor at Villanova who declined to be identified described Ritter as a "quiet" man who enjoyed a...