Two Aggie Corps Members Arrested on Charges of Hazing Reporter: Ashlea Sigman

Two Aggie Corps Members Arrested on Charges of Hazing
Reporter: Ashlea Sigman with video below
http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/40330687.html
Two cadets have been arrested and charged with hazing in connection with an incident that allegedly happened last semester.

An Aggie sophomore claims he was hazed last fall, when he joined the corps. The student is no longer part of the corps, after he says hazing left him with internal injuries.

Sophomore cadet David Blackerby and junior cadet Philip McCaslin have been arrested and charged with hazing.

The first-year-cadet says the incident started in Gainer hall, during an outfit activity session when Blackerby, a squad leader, and McCaslin, a platoon sergeant, removed him the rest of his company and escorted him to Spence Park.

There the cadet say he was asked to perform seven different physical exercises for nearly two hours. According to A&M University Police, the exercises in Spence Park violated corps policy.

The Corps allows corrective physical exercise for minor offenses, but those exercises are limited to push -ups, sit-ups, and flutter kicks. They must also be administered in the hallway of corps dorms, or on the corps quad.

The freshman cadet told police he tolerated the exercise, but sought medical attention two days later and learned he’d received an internal injury which required invasive medical procedures.

Neither Blackerby or McCaslin dispute the incident in Spence Park, but say the freshman was being disciplined for not following Corps standards and conduct.

“The Corps policy on hazing is we don’t support it and it gets punished severely,” said Junior Corps Member Bryce Delin.

The father of the student who made the allegations said his son was never formally reprimanded, and was in the top physical performing group in his outfit. He also said his son may join the Corps again, and that the misconduct of a few is not an indication of how the program is run.

Both Blackerby and McCaslin are out of jail on a $2,000 bond. Texas A&M would not say whether the two had been punished, but did release the following statement:

“It would be inappropriate to comment on the recent alleged hazing incident until the criminal investigation is complete. Any allegations of hazing are very disturbing to us. Understand that hazing in any form by students or student organizations is strictly prohibited by state law and university policy and will not be tolerated on the Texas A&M campus. It also is important to note that we take any allegations of hazing extremely seriously and have strict policies in place to deal swiftly with alleged violators, while allowing for due process. University policy requires that individuals accused of hazing to be notified of the charges in writing, given an opportunity to review the allegations, to view all information that supports the charges and the right to