Three members of the Marching 100 were arrested on charges of misdemeanor hazing late Tuesday after an investigation by the Florida A&M University Police Department.
The three students arrested: Dontay Douglas, 21; James Wheeler, 21, a business administration student from Atlanta; and Kenneth Sparks, 20, a civil construction engineering student from Fort Lauderdale, were charged with first degree misdemeanor hazing.
Florida statute Chapter 1006.63 Section 3 states “A person commits hazing, a first degree misdemeanor, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, when he or she intentionally or recklessly commits any act of hazing as defined in subsection (1) upon another person who is a member of or an applicant to any type of student organization and the hazing creates a substantial risk of physical injury or death to such other person.”
According to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, FAMU P.D. Detective John Cotton, who is involved in the investigation, which started in September, made the arrests.
Sparks and Douglas were each charged with 7 counts of misdemeanor hazing and Wheeler was charged with 6 counts of misdemeanor hazing said LeNedra Carroll, director of university public relations. “We do anticipate one additional arrest.”
The individuals cooperated with police and turned themselves in Thursday Carroll said.
They were later taken to the Leon County Jail.
“The university will not tolerate hazing; it’s a crime,” Carroll said.
For more on this story, be sure to pick up a copy of Friday’s edition of The Famuan.