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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Police have arrested four young men on charges alleging a fraternity alcohol hazing ritual led to the death of a California Polytechnic State University student from Texas.
San Luis Obispo police say the four — ages 20 to 22 — surrendered Thursday on criminal warrants in the death of 18-year-old Carson Starkey of Austin.
Starkey died in December and was found to have a blood-alcohol level between 0.39 percent and 0.44 percent.
Police say Starkey was pledging the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and had to go through a ritual of drinking a bag full of alcoholic beverages.
Two of the defendants are charged with felony hazing causing death or great bodily injury. The other two face misdemeanors.
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California bulletin: arrests in CA
San Luis Obispo, Calif., Police Department officials announced today that they have arrested and charged individuals in connection with the Dec. 2, 2008, death of 18-year-old Carson Starkey (at right) of Austin.
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San Luis Obispo officials are releasing more information at a 3 p.m. (Central Time) press conference, so check back here for details on what officials there are calling a “fraternity hazing death.â€
Starkey died of alcohol poisoning during a fraternity initiation in California on Dec. 2. He had pledged to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity during his freshman year at California Polytechnic State University. According to a police report, Carson died as a result of hazing, and autopsy results showed his blood alcohol content was between .39 and .44. The legal limit to drive in Texas is .08.
A graduate of Austin High School, Carson Starkey was a member of the school’s tennis, lacrosse and cross-country running teams. But his father, Scott Starkey, has said that Carson Starkey’s true love was cycling, and he helped his father build mountain bike trails in Texas and Colorado.
After graduating in the top 10 percent of his high school class, Carson Starkey decided to go to Cal Poly because it was one of the top schools for architectural engineering, his mother, Julia Starkey, has said. He started school Sept. 13, bringing his cowboy boots and a Texas flag with him. He told his parents that he wanted to join the fraternity to make more friends.
Julia and Scott Starkey have said they knew little about alcohol poisoning before their son died and now want to educate other people about it. In March, they and about 200 of their friends and relatives walked in the Capitol 10K wearing blue T-shirts with a picture of Carson Starkey and the address of a Web site — www.withcarson.com — with information about life-threatening signs of alcohol abuse.
Since Carson’s death, the Starkeys have also persuaded the Austin school district to add alcohol poisoning and hazing awareness to the secondary health curriculum next school year, said Tracy Lunoff, the district’s health curriculum director. The Starkeys have also established a scholarship fund for a graduating Austin High School senior and a fund to create awareness about alcohol poisoning and hazing.
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Woodruff High School update:
The Spartanburg Herald Journal reported today that the hazing allegations involving the Woodruff High School baseball team include spanking on the team bus. No charges have been placed.
Hazing investigated at Woodruff High
Baseball teams scrutinized after parental complaints
From staff reports
Published: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, May 11, 2009 at 10:13 p.m.
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating complaints of hazing that involve Woodruff High School’s varsity and junior varsity baseball teams.
Master Deputy Tony Ivey said the school district contacted the sheriff’s office on Friday after receiving several phone calls from parents about the alleged incident. “We were contacted late Friday afternoon by the school district,” he said. “They wanted our help in looking into allegations made by parents about a possible hazing incident involving the school’s baseball teams. Officers are interviewing players and coaches, and that’s sort of where we are right now.”
Ivey said he expected a comprehensive report sometime today.
From there, investigators will determine whether any types of substantial hazing occurred and whether more serious assault and battery charges are necessary, he said.
City of Woodruff Police Chief Darrel Dawkins said the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office was handling the investigation because the school’s resource officer is a county deputy.
South Carolina law defines hazing as “the wrongful striking, laying open hand upon, threatening with violence, or offering to do bodily harm by a superior student to a subordinate student,” or “other unauthorized treatment of a tyrannical, abusive, shameful, insulting, or humiliating nature.”
Penalties can include the student’s dismissal, expulsion, suspension, or another punishment considered appropriate by school officials.