BATON ROUGE, La. — A fraternity member was arrested Monday on charges including hazing in connection with an incident that reportedly hospitalized a Louisiana State University freshman.
University police arrested Phi Kappa Psi member Terry Pat Reynolds II on Monday on charges of criminal and misdemeanour hazing and of failure to seek assistance, University spokesman Ernie Ballard III said.
“The university has stated on multiple occasions that hazing will not be tolerated and the university acts swiftly when any hazing allegations are brought forth,” his emailed news release said.
It was not immediately clear if Reynolds had an attorney who could speak for him. He was released on $13,500 bond, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish jail’s online roster.
News outlets cited arrest documents that said the victim was dropped off at a hospital about 3 a.m. on Oct. 19 and immediately had to be put on life support. According to arrest documents, he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.451% — nearly six times the level considered legal proof of intoxication.
The student, who was not identified by school officials or law enforcement authorities, has since been released from the hospital, news outlets reported.
Detectives identified Reynolds as a suspect after looking at text messages sent from confiscated phones of fraternity members who brought the victim to the hospital, according to news reports.
The Phi Kappa Psi chapter was suspended while campus police investigated.
Felony criminal hazing was made a law after the death in 2017 of LSU freshman Max Gruver, who had pledged at another fraternity. That fraternity is barred at LSU’s Baton Rouge campus at least until 2033.
Another state law requires anyone who comes across someone with a serious injury or engages in reckless behaviour that causes such injury to provide “reasonable assistance.”
The Associated Press
