Three fraternity members charged with hazing in Chico, Calif.
July 11, 2007
Pledges were allegedly forced to crawl through mud and submerge themselves in freezing water.
The Butte County, Calif., district attorney is prosecuting three fraternity members in Chico on charges of illegal hazing. Beta Theta Pi members allegedly made pledges do calisthenics and crawl through mud, then submerged them up to their necks in freezing water, subjecting them to hypothermia. Two of those charged attended California State University, Chico, when the incidents occurred in April, and the third student attended Butte College. University officials shut down the Beta Theta Pi House in June.