A plea agreement was reached Monday for three men accused in a hazing incident for a fraternity at EKU last year.
Alonzo McGill, 31, Thomas Barnes, 21, and Gabriel McLaren, 22, were all charged with fourth-degree assault after fraternity pledge Brent Whiteside was severely injured and hospitalized with renal failure in March. Police say Whiteside told them he was beaten with a paddle, cane and fists while pledging for EKU’s chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi from January to March.
With the plea deal, all three defendants pleaded guilty to the fourth-degree assault charges, and all were sentenced to home incarceration rather than jail time. McClaren will serve 100 days, McGill 70 and Barnes 40. At the end of 2009, all three can ask for the charges to be dropped against them and their records cleared.
Whiteside said Monday that he accepts the plea deals, but also said that he would have rather the trio serve some of their sentences in jail.
