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Hazing on Trial in New Mexico: One guilty plea from Robertson High School

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/crime_krqe_santa_fe_robertson_hearing_nears_end_200901221222

Judge: Robertson
students to face trial

Last Edited: Thursday, 22 Jan 2009, 2:52 PM MST
Created On: Thursday, 22 Jan 2009, 12:24 PM MST

* Reporter: Dave Bohman
* Web Producer: Todd Dukart

SANTA FE (KRQE) – A state district judge has ruled that five former Robertson High School football players will face trial on felony charges of gross sexual penetration.

Judge Jim Hall made the ruling Thursday afternoon after a three-day hearing to determine whether the five would face trial.

Witnesses had testified the five boys had sodomized or attempted to sodomize younger players with broomsticks during an August training camp held by the Las Vegas, N.M., school.

Another former player earlier this week admitted guilt in the case.

Prosecutors called their final witness on Thursday morning. Sgt. Steve Montano with the New Mexico State Police testified that he interviewed many of the players after the camp. He testified that one of the defendants had admitted to taking part in two of the attacks.

The hearing went into recess after Montano’s testimony wrapped up around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, and defense attorneys were given a chance to tell the judge why their clients should not face trial.

One attorney told News 13 that while he’s hopeful for his client, he does not expect the charges to be dropped because little needs to be proven for the case to be sent to trial.

By Hank Nuwer

Journalist Hank Nuwer tracks hazing deaths in fraternities and schools. Nuwer is the Alaska author of Hazing: Destroying Young Lives; Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing, Wrongs of Passage and The Hazing Reader. In April of 2024 and April 2025 , the Alaska Press Club awarded him first place in the Best Columnist division and Best Humorist, second place.

He has written articles or columns on hazing for the Sunday Times of India, Toronto Globe & Mail, Harper's Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. His current book is Hazing: Destroying Young Lives from Indiana University Press. He is married to Malgorzata Wroblewska Nuwer of Warsaw, Poland and Fairbanks, Alaska. Nuwer is a former columnist for the Greenville (Ohio)Early Bird and former managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska.
Nuwer was named the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists columnist of the year in 2021 for his “After Darke” column in the Early Bird. He also won third place for the column in 2022 from the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He and his wife Gosia, recently of Union City, Ind., have owned 20 acres in Alaska for many years. “The move is a sort-of coming home for us,” said Nuwer. As a journalist, he’s written about the Alaskan Iditarod sled-dog race and other Alaska topics. Read his musings in his blog at Real Alaska Daily--http://realalaskadaily.com and in his weekly column "Far from Randolph" in the Winchester Star-Gazette of Randolph County, Indiana.

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