A Louisiana State University student has been arrested in connection with the hospitalization of another student last month. Terry Pat Reynolds II, member of Phi Kappa Psi, was charged and booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison with felony criminal hazing, felony failure to seek assistance, and misdemeanor criminal hazing.
LSU released a statement following a campus police investigation into the fraternity.
"The university has stated on multiple occasions that hazing will not be tolerated and the university acts swiftly when any hazing allegations are brought forth," the statement read. "Now that the LSU Police investigation has led to an arrest, the university's office of Student Advocacy & Accountability will also conduct an investigation regarding any possible Code of Student Conduct violations."
KATC reports that the arrest warrant showed police were called to the hospital around 3 a.m. October 19 after a student was dropped off by fellow fraternity members. His oxygen levels and temperature were critically low and he had pink froth coming from his mouth, indicating organ failure. Additionally, his blood alcohol level was six times the legal limit.
The warrant states Reynolds invited new members of the fraternity to his off-campus home on October 18 and allegedly told them they couldn't leave until they drank all the bottles of alcohol they were given. According to KATC, when Reynolds heard one of the members ended up in the hospital, he allegedly sent the other pledges threatening text messages.
After the incident last month, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III couldn't help but draw comparisons to a 2017 hazing incident at LSU that led to the death of freshman Max Gruver.
"My office was informed by LSU PD about a potential hazing incident that led to an LSU student being hospitalized," Moore said at the time. "The LSU PD is interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence to determine if there are any criminal violations or violations of the new hazing statute."
He continued, "In speaking with the LSU PD detectives, the case looks extremely similar in many aspects to the Gruver case, with the exception that there is not a death. At this point, it appears everybody who has ben requested to be questioned has been cooperative."
Photo: Getty Images