Oxford Police Department raids house

Editor’s Note: This is a developing situation, and this story will be updated as more information becomes available.

A SWAT team was seen raiding 215 S. College Ave. in the early afternoon on Friday, May 8.

The house is named “Dirty South.” Neighbors told The Student that some of the residents were members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and The Student saw a Pi Kappa Phi fraternity cooler on the porch. The fraternity’s national headquarters has not responded for comment at this time.

The Miami Student

A Pi Kappa Phi fraternity cooler sits on the porch of 215 S. College Ave.

Seven neighbors told The Student they frequently saw people coming and going from the house, staying for less than a minute before leaving. The Oxford Police Department has yet to confirm the cause of the raid or respond for comment.

The house is owned by Park Place Real Estate; they have not responded for comment at this time.

Isaiah Lee, a student at Miami University who lives nearby, said he saw multiple cop cars, some of which were unmarked, pull up to the house earlier Friday afternoon. The officers entered the home with rifles and detained its occupants as they searched the property.

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“We saw them outside with [rifles] and pistols, and they blew open the shed … and cellar door,” Lee said. “We heard a bunch of commotion and yelling.”

Another neighbor, who chose to remain anonymous, said she and her roommates were watching TV when they saw the raid outside their window. She said police had raided the house and were pulling occupants out of the house in 15-minute intervals to detain them. She said at least three people were arrested.

Update: 10:30 p.m. Friday, May 8

A press release from the Oxford Police Department (OPD) says four men were detained and brought in for questioning after a search warrant was executed. Police seized cocaine, electronics and other paraphernalia. Will Esler, a senior finance major, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and trafficking in drugs and transported to the Butler County Jail. The charges specify Esler was in possession of over 27 grams of cocaine. OPD says this was part of a months-long ongoing investigation. Esler is not a member of Pi Kappa Phi, according to the current Interfraternity Council chapter roster.

Update: 2:40 p.m. Saturday, May 9