46 University of New Hampshire fraternity members facing hazing charges

DURHAM, N.H. — Forty-six members of a University of New Hampshire fraternity are facing hazing charges, linked with an April 13 incident at the Beta chapter house of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

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According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Durham police investigated the incident and issued arrest warrants June 7, charging Sigma Alpha Epsilon and 46 of its members with student hazing.

According to police, individuals charged with the misdemeanor face a fine of as much as $1,200 each, while organizations found guilty of the charge face a fine up to $20,000, the newspaper reported.

Deputy Strafford County Attorney Emily Garod told Foster’s Daily Democrat that police are actively tracking down the accused fraternity members because the university’s spring semester has concluded. and students have already left campus.

By 2 p.m. EDT Friday, police had arrested and released 10 of the suspects, with arraignments slated to begin Wednesday, July 13 at the 7th Circuit Court in Dover, the newspaper reported.

“New Hampshire law allows us to charge any person that participates as an actor in student hazing, anyone present during student hazing who fails to report it and anyone who submits to hazing and fails to report it,” Garod told the Daily Democrat. “We have charged individuals that fall into any of these three categories.”

According to the Union Leader, police identified the following 10 students arrested and charged Friday:

• Seth Burdick, 19, of South Hampton, New Hampshire.
• Benjamin Chase, 18, of Hampton, New Hampshire.
• Robert Doherty, 19, of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
• Daniel Fachiol of Hampden, Maine.
• Charles Farrah, 20, of Grafton, Massachusetts.
• Robert Hardy Jr., 21, of Atkinson, New Hampshire.
• Oliver Jacques, 19, of Auburn, Maine.
• Gabriel Kwan, 21, of Winchester, Massachusetts.
• Mason Steele, 19, of Williston, Vermont
• Colby Travis, 19, of Pelham, New Hampshire.

“We take any allegation of hazing very seriously, and now that the police investigation is complete, we will be initiating a formal conduct process,” university spokesperson Erika Mantz told the Daily Democrat.

Dave Pascarella, a national spokesperson for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, told the newspaper that the fraternity “denounces all acts of hazing and misconduct that do not represent the fraternity’s values.”

“Upon learning of the alleged incident, SAE immediately issued a cease and desist of the chapter, began our own investigation, and informed the University of New Hampshire’s administration,” Pascarella said in a prepared statement. “SAE’s investigation was paused upon being notified about the opening of a police investigation. We are fully cooperating with the local authorities’ investigation and have urged all of our members to do the same.”

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