ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — 9 Investigates is asking why hazing allegations at a high school are not being investigated by law enforcement even though hazing is a crime.
Claims were made by cross country students at Timber Creek High School.
There is no active criminal case against the students.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said that's because no one has come forward to file a report.
All the students who were determined to have been involved were expelled for the rest of the school year.
On Friday, a parent of one of the students accused in the hazing case said the punishment was too harsh.
According to Florida statute, hazing that risks physical injury is a first-degree misdemeanor.
School officials decided to handle the case internally.
The district determined the charges should be the highest level possible--level 4 hazing.
In a witness statement, the victim recalls an off-campus pasta dinner when he felt five people pushing him around, then says he felt two sticks poking his rear.
Despite written witness statements and weeks of investigating the hazing case, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said no victim or witness has come forward, and without that they can't open a case.
The alleged incident happened Sept. 18.
Seven days later, the teams' coach, David Gardner, notified a deputy.
School districts are required to report hazing to a law enforcement agency.
While a report indicates they did not, they did report to the Department of Children and Families on Sept. 21. And even though DCF can't press criminal charges, the district said that meets the reporting requirement.
DCF officials and deputies say without a victim, the level 4 hazing case may never become a criminal charge.
Deputies are standing by and are prepared to take any witness statements in this case.
If a victim comes forward, it is not too late to file criminal charges if they have the evidence to support it.
WFTV
