46 frat brothers face charges after new members hazed, New Hampshire cops say

Forty-six fraternity brothers at the University of New Hampshire are facing charges after they were accused of hazing new members, police said.

University representatives reported a “possible student hazing incident” that took place in April involving 46 members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), according to the Durham Police Department. SAE is a fraternity established in 1856 that has local chapters at universities nationwide.

Arrest warrants were issued for the SAE New Hampshire Beta chapter members on June 7, charging them and the entire chapter with student hazing, Durham police said in a June 10 news release.

Authorities did not detail what the hazing entailed, but it is believed to have occurred at an event held at the fraternity house on April 13, according to the release.

A national spokesman for SAE, Dave Pascarella, said in a statement provided to McClatchy News that “Sigma Alpha Epsilon denounces all acts of hazing and misconduct that do not represent the Fraternity’s values defined by our creed, The True Gentleman.”

Each of the 46 fraternity members could potentially be fined up to $1,200, Durham police said in the release. The SAE Beta chapter could face a fine of up to $20,000.

Pascarella said “the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity Service Center was made aware of an incident in April involving members of our chapter at the University of New Hampshire. Upon learning of the alleged incident, SAE immediately issued a Cease and Desist of the chapter, began our own investigation, and informed The University of New Hampshire’s administration.”

“SAE’s investigation was paused upon being notified about the opening of a police investigation/,” the spokesman said, adding that organization officials “are fully cooperating with the local authorities’ investigation and have urged all of our members to do the same.”

Now, the Strafford County Attorney’s office is leading the prosecutions in the case, Durham police said.

Durham is about 40 miles east of Concord, New Hampshire.

This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 12:49 PM with the headline "46 frat brothers face charges after new members hazed, New Hampshire cops say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.