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Fraternity leaders face hazing charges
Sigma Alpha Epsilon members indicted for several misdemeanors
By Stephen Keller
The Travis County Attorney's Office charged four members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Texas Rho Chapter on Friday for allegedly hazing pledges with cattle prods, beating them with bamboo sticks and forcing them to binge drink.
Officials indicted former chapter President Chase Bolding, economics senior and former pledge trainer Austin Sherrill and former pledge trainer Will Evans with both hazing, a Class B misdemeanor, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, a Class A misdemeanor. Attorneys also charged former Vice President Jimmy Berry with failure to report hazing, a Class B misdemeanor. Class B misdemeanors are punishable by up to six months in jail and a maximum $2,000 fine. Class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in jail and a maximum $4,000 fine. All of the charges relate to incidences that occurred during the fall 2006 semester. Lawyers for the charged members could not be reached by press time. Travis County Attorney David Escamilla said this was the first time a hazing-related investigation had led to additional charges. Escamilla said the Nov. 17, 2006 death of engineering freshman and pledge Tyler Cross sparked the 14-month investigation. The correlation between the hazing investigation and Cross' death is under the jurisdiction of the Travis County District Attorney's office, but representatives from the office did not confirm any relationship by press time. "The message we're trying to send is really to focus on the leadership," Escamilla said. "If they aren't going to control the hazing, then I don't know who will." After the Ohio State University football game on Sept. 9, 2006, Bolding, Sherrill and Evans called a meeting at a pledge's room in the University Towers private dormitory, according to the probable cause affidavit. At the meeting, Bolding forced a pledge to take the "bows and toes position" in which he had to raise himself on his elbows and toes while lying on a table. After the pledge got into position, Bolding flipped the table over onto the pledge. Later in the meeting, Evans threw darts at a pledge's hand after telling the pledge to put his hand against a dart board. Several darts struck the pledge. Sherrill also picked up a hot clothes iron and burned the faces of two pledges in the room. The two were instructed to not attend classes until the minor burns healed, the affidavit said. The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 24
Horrified
posted 4/28/08 @ 9:03 AM CST
This is ridiculous and the GLE knows it.
Matt
posted 4/28/08 @ 9:40 AM CST
Why doesn't the article mention that these pledges were forced to pledge the fraternity against their will? I mean, it's not like these guys have free will or the ability to make their own decisions about their own life, right? I thought this campus praises pro-choice and "alternative" lifestyles. (Continued…)
Sick of Greeks
posted 4/28/08 @ 10:24 AM CST
White Greeks do stupid shit. This is hazing just for the sake of hazing. Just for the shits and giggle of the big brothers. Why would anyone go through that to join an organization?
Flora
posted 4/28/08 @ 11:26 AM CST
Why don't they just drop the Greek letters and call it what it is, an S&M Club for Stupid Rich White Boys?
Matt
posted 4/28/08 @ 1:19 PM CST
I don't think the homosexual community would support the vast generalizations being made here regarding those who choose to enter Greek life. Since when was it acceptable to use homosexuality as grounds for insult? Again, I thought this campus was supposed to be accepting of different groups. (Continued…)
John D.
posted 4/28/08 @ 2:15 PM CST
Why isn't this frat deemed inactive? Other organizations get caught hazing, and must go inactive for semesters. Why not SAE?
Chillingsworth
posted 4/28/08 @ 3:08 PM CST
Because we have money and those groups don't.
NC
posted 4/28/08 @ 6:36 PM CST
In light of what went on , I think the university was too generous to that fraternity.
Tom Woolf
posted 4/28/08 @ 10:18 PM CST
What is missing here is the peer pressure on the pledges. They may have attempted to join the frat without knowing the depths of the hazing. Once you are with the other pledges, and the brothers start the hazing, the loss of face by walking out would haunt them for the rest of their time at that school. (Continued…)
Matthew
posted 4/28/08 @ 10:50 PM CST
Correct me if I'm wrong, but no one forced them to join did they? I don't see how something can be illegal if the people having it done to them consent to it. (Continued…)
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