4 members of San Diego State University’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity are dealing with felony expenses after a skit carried out at a celebration final 12 months led to a pledge being set on hearth.
The member set on hearth suffered third-degree burns that coated greater than 16% of his physique because of the skit carried out on Feb. 17, prosecutors stated.
Caden Cooper, 22; Lucas Cowling, 20; Christopher Serrano, 20, and Lars Larsen, 19, had been every charged Monday with not less than one felony, and all 4 pleaded not responsible. Larsen was the particular person set on hearth.
The costs embrace recklessly inflicting a hearth with nice bodily damage, conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the general public and violating the social host ordinance. If convicted of all expenses, the defendants might face seven years in jail.
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The 4 charged had been all both energetic members or pledges of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Cooper was the fraternity’s president and Cowling was on the Pledge Board, whereas Serrano and Larsen had been pledges, prosecutors stated.
Larsen and Serrano, who weren’t of authorized consuming age, additionally drank alcohol earlier than the skit whereas within the presence of Cowling.
In recent times, the college’s fraternities have engaged in actions which have prompted investigations, with not less than half a dozen having been placed on probation prior to now two years, in line with the college.
In 2020, the college probed allegations {that a} frat chief promoted blackout consuming. That got here a 12 months after the loss of life of a freshman who fell out of a bunk mattress and cracked his cranium after consuming along with his fraternity the evening earlier than.
The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity was already on probation by the university for violating its insurance policies on alcohol and hazing when the burning incident on the celebration occurred almost a 12 months in the past.
The celebration concerned a skit that included Serrano setting Larsen on hearth, in line with prosecutors.
Cowling, Serrano and Larsen deliberate the skit by which Serrano set Larsen on hearth, in line with prosecutors. Larsen was within the hospital for weeks with third-degree burns, principally to his legs.
After the incident, Cowling, Larsen and Cooper lied to regulation enforcement investigating the incident, deleted proof on social media and instructed different fraternity members to delete proof and never discuss to anybody about what occurred, in line with prosecutors.
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The 4 had been launched from jail and ordered to return to courtroom March 18 to arrange for a preliminary listening to scheduled for April 16.
They had been additionally ordered to not take part in any fraternity events or recruitment occasions and to observe alcohol legal guidelines.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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