Anthrax charge against university student reduced to loitering

ATLANTA - A former Oglethorpe University student charged in May with touching off an anthrax scare pleaded guilty Thursday to a reduced charge of loitering. <br> <br> DeKalb Superior Court Judge Cynthia J. Becker gave Joel Garrison 10 months of probation, 200 hours of community service and a $500 fine, according to Garrison&#39;s attorney. <br> <br> Garrison, now a sophomore at the University of Alabama, was one of the first people arrested by DeKalb County&#39;s Office of Homeland Security. <br> <br> A dormitory was evacuated after 19-year-old Melissa Shipman of Columbus found an envelope containing baby powder, which had been slipped under her door April 28. Shipman called campus police, who called 911, and a hazardous materials team was dispatched. <br> <br> By making the plea deal, Garrison avoided a one-year jail sentence and $1,000 fine, the penalty for the misdemeanor charges.