Animal House: 46 fraternity members at issued arrest warrants for hazing incident at University of New Hampshire

Police in New Hampshire have issued 46 members of fraternity at the University of New Hampshire for allegations they participated in a hazing event in April, police reported.

The warrants were issued to members of the university’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter, which was suspended after the charges were reported to the university by the fraternity’s national organization, the university said.

The hazing incident in question reportedly occurred at the university’s SAE chapter house on April 13 during an event with new members, a Durham Police Department press release said.

The 46 arrest warrants were issued to the SAE members on Tuesday, and 10 students were arrested by 2 p.m. Friday, law enforcement officials said. The charge is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,200.

But another warrant additionally charges the fraternity's chapter with student hazing, according to police. That charge, when brought against an organization is punishable by a fine of up to $20,000.

Law enforcement officials kept details of the incident vague and so far, media outlets such as CNN have been unsuccessful at getting copies of prosecutorial charging documents from the Strafford County Attorney’s Office.

Durham police said they started the investigation April 18 after university officials said a hazing incident may have occurred at the SAE house just five days prior. The university reportedly contacted the Durham police upon receiving information from the fraternity’s national organization.

“We have cooperated with police throughout the investigation and the fraternity was interim suspended pending the outcome of the police investigation,” a UNH statement reads.

The fraternity's Illinois-based national headquarters said it reported the allegations to UNH officials as soon as it got word of the incident, saying it "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. We are fully cooperating with the local authorities' investigation and have urged all of our members to do the same," the SAE national headquarters statement reads. ”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.”

The fraternity's statement does not address the nature of the hazing allegations.