Court date postponed for former SEAS student

The preliminary arraignment for Saad Masood, a former Penn student who was arrested last Thursday, has been postponed to Feb. 1 so that the court can conduct a mental health evaluation.

Masood, 30, was arrested last Thursday around 12 p.m. at 33rd and Walnut streets. He is charged with terroristic threats, stalking, harassment and disorderly conduct, according to court documents.

“It’s not uncommon,” Law School professor David Rudovsky said, referring to the mental health evaluation. “It certainly happens in a small number of cases with the charges of threatening or stalking.”

According to Rudovsky — who is unaffiliated with Masood’s case — it is not always clear what courts are looking for with these types of evaluations.

“It could be competence to stand trial or a number of other mental issues related to the possible offenses,” Rudovsky said.

Masood, who was enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, is being confined in a county prison on a bail of $2,500. He has been assigned a public defender.

Rudovksy said that the charges Masood faces typically could result in a maximum sentence of a couple of years in prison, but noted that details are “all very vague” before preliminary hearings.

At a preliminary arraignment, the charges being raised against the defense are read, and the defense is asked to give a plea. If the defendant pleads not guilty, a formal arraignment is scheduled where the charges are reread.

“To establish the charges, the prosecution has to show that some person was terrorized by actual threats and that they were stalked, which means more than visiting somebody in their office in school, and that they were followed or harassed in some way.” Rudvosky said of the general nature of Masood’s charges.

Tasha Jamerson, communications director for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment on the specifics of the case, as information isn’t released to the public until court proceedings are over.

Helen Anderson, senior director of Computing and Educational Technology Services, sent an e-mail to SEAS faculty and staff on Jan. 13 instructing recipients who see Masood to “call the Penn Police with location and description of what he is wearing.”

Anderson attached a copy of a University Police Department alert which stated, “Saad Masood, who is no longer a student here, continues to contact professors, via phone, e-mail, and in person despite having been told by Special Services and [the Vice Provost for University Life] not to return to Penn.” The alert also had a picture of Masood.

Anderson and Tonya Williams Revell — a CETS manager who was approached by Masood and noted in an e-mail that he was “obviously agitated and pretty scary” — were not willing to comment for this story.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.