BROCKPORT, N.Y. (AP) - Several members of an unrecognized fraternity at an upstate New York college have pleaded not guilty in a hazing case that police say involved heavy drinking and the torture of a rat.
Six current and three former students of the College at Brockport face misdemeanor charges after two former pledges came forward to police. Eight of the nine pleaded not guilty Friday in Brockport Village Court. The ninth requested an adjournment.
Attorney Paul Guerrieri told reporters his client, who is no longer a student at the state college, denies everything he’s accused of, including encouraging an underage pledge to drink an entire bottle of whisky.
Police say two of the men crushed and mangled a rat with a hammer to intimidate pledges into staying quiet about the group’s activities.
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