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Four members of San Diego State University’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity are dealing with felony fees after a skit carried out at a party final yr led to a pledge being set on hearth.
The member set on hearth suffered third-degree burns that lined greater than 16% of his physique because of the skit carried out on Feb. 17, prosecutors stated.
Caden Cooper, 22; Lucas Cowling, 20; Christopher Serrano, 20, and Lars Larsen, 19, have been every charged Monday with a minimum of one felony, and all 4 pleaded not responsible. Larsen was the individual set on hearth.
The fees embrace recklessly inflicting a fireplace with nice bodily harm, conspiracy to commit an act injurious to the general public and violating the social host ordinance. If convicted of all fees, the defendants might face seven years in jail.
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The 4 charged have been all both lively members or pledges of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Cooper was the fraternity’s president and Cowling was on the Pledge Board, whereas Serrano and Larsen have been pledges, prosecutors stated.
Larsen and Serrano, who weren’t of authorized consuming age, additionally drank alcohol earlier than the skit whereas within the presence of Cowling.
In latest years, the college’s fraternities have engaged in actions which have prompted investigations, with a minimum of half a dozen having been placed on probation up to now two years, based on the college.
In 2020, the college probed allegations {that a} frat chief promoted blackout consuming. That got here a yr after the loss of life of a freshman who fell out of a bunk mattress and cracked his cranium after consuming along with his fraternity the night time earlier than.
Students and fogeys stroll on campus throughout move-in day at San Diego State University in San Diego, California, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020. (Getty Images)
The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity was already on probation by the college for violating its insurance policies on alcohol and hazing when the burning incident on the party occurred practically a yr in the past.
The party concerned a skit that included Serrano setting Larsen on hearth, based on prosecutors.
Cowling, Serrano and Larsen deliberate the skit wherein Serrano set Larsen on hearth, based on prosecutors. Larsen was within the hospital for weeks with third-degree burns, principally to his legs.
After the incident, Cowling, Larsen and Cooper lied to regulation enforcement investigating the incident, deleted proof on social media and instructed different fraternity members to delete proof and never discuss to anybody about what occurred, based on prosecutors.
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Hepner Hall on the campus of San Diego State University (SDSU), a part of the California State University (CSU) system, in San Diego, California, on Thursday, July 9, 2020. (Getty Images)
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The 4 have been launched from jail and ordered to return to courtroom March 18 to organize for a preliminary listening to scheduled for April 16.
They have been additionally ordered to not take part in any fraternity events or recruitment occasions and to comply with alcohol legal guidelines.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
