3 frat brothers charged after pledge dies of alcohol poisoning

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (TCN) -- Three members of a fraternity at Northern Arizona University have been charged with hazing and taken into custody following the death of a new member.

On Jan. 31 around 9 a.m., police responded to a report of an 18-year-old man found unresponsive in a home, the Flagstaff Police Department announced. He was not breathing, and though lifesaving measures were attempted, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives executed a search warrant at the residence and interviewed witnesses who had been there throughout the night.

The Associated Press reports that the student, whose name has not been released, was a new member, or pledge, of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He had reportedly consumed a large amount of vodka as part of an initiation event with other potential members in which a bottle was passed around. They had to drink enough to ensure they vomited. Witnesses told police some people looked up alcohol poisoning symptoms online after hearing the 18-year-old snoring loudly around 3 a.m. 

Carter Eslick, Ryan Creech, and Riley Cass, all 20 years old and executive board members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, were charged with hazing and booked into jail, according to police.

According to People, hazing is described as “the act in which a person is forced to consume food or liquid, including alcohol or other substances, which may cause a substantial risk to their health.”

The AP reports Jack Kreman, the fraternity’s CEO, said, “Our position on hazing is clear: It is the antithesis of brotherhood and a violation of the values of Delta Tau Delta.” The Northern Arizona University chapter of the fraternity has been suspended temporarily while the school conducts its own investigation, according to the outlet.

The investigation is ongoing.

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