After its previous president was detained twice in the past year in connection with a hazing incident and abuse, the University of Connecticut brotherhood has been suspended.
According to a school director, Stephanie Reitz, the Lambda Theta Phi brotherhood was informed on Thursday that its campus chapter had been suspended and that it was required to resume operations while school officials were looking into alleged bullying allegations from February.
Reitz stated in a statement that the university is” committed to providing secure, healthy, and courteous environments in all UConn businesses and on UConn’s schools.”
Reitz claimed that school officials are unable to disclose whether any kids may also face” conduct-related disciplinary reviews” as per federal student privacy laws.
Since 1991, Lambda Theta Phi has run a college book at UConn. On Thursday, it was impossible to contact the national executive committee of Lambda Theta Phi for opinion.
David Vallejo, 23, a former chairman of the Lambda Theta Phi brotherhood, was arrested , past week , in connection with the bullying allegations and again on Tuesday in connection with an alleged assault on school, according to the , UConn Police Department.
According to police, Vallejo was accused of third-degree suffocation, disorderly conduct, and third-degree abuse for an incident on March 21 when he was holding his arm across his throat to prevent a former fraternity pledge from breathing.
Following the hazing complaints, the sufferer claimed that he met with Vallejo after making the claim that he no more wanted to be a member of the fraternity.
The target claimed that he was assaulted after refusing to pay the remainder of his induction fee after leaving the UConn school and that he returned the brotherhood even to him.
The arrest made by school policeman came weeks after Vallejo was arrested by , Connecticut State Police , in connection with the hazing claims, which date back to February. In that case, he faces charges of chaotic do, next- degree assault, next- degree strangulation/suffocation and next- degree immoral restraint.
State police said the complaints were discovered in late March when a man went to Troop C in , Tolland , and asked to speak with a soldier about an alleged assault that happened on , Feb. 8 , and 9, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Troopers learned that the sufferer was a UConn scholar and that the claims involved the statement of “hazing” that happened during the induction process for Lambda Theta Phi at a home on , Tolland Turnpike , in , Willington, the subpoena petition said. The target claimed Vallejo, who was the fraternity’s head commitment expert at the time, assaulted him.
According to the subpoena oath, the survivor told state authorities Vallejo picked him and another pledge away from their UConn dorm room on , Feb. 8 , during the second night of the initiation process and brought them to the , Willington , home where they were lined up “military style”. The other pledge masters forced the pledges to repeat what they were saying as they stood in front of them.
According to the warrant affidavit, the victim and another pledge were allegedly forced to perform pushups and repeat what was being said again when they were unable to correctly recite what the pledge masters were saying.
The victim claimed that they had to start over whenever he became sluggish and his arms spat out. According to the warrant affidavit, Vallejo claimed that he became angry after repeatedly falling to the ground and that at one point he was grabbed by his pledge uniform and thrown across the room.
According to the warrant affidavit, the victim claimed that Vallejo yelled at him until he started crying by reciting the fraternity’s” code.”
According to the warrant affidavit, the victim later reported to police that he later noticed bruises on his arms, elbows, and kneecaps.
The following night, the victim said the pledges were brought back to the , Willington , home and were taught new information they had to recite. According to the warrant affidavit, the victim claimed that they were forced to perform pushups once more when they failed to get it right. Due to the victim’s injuries and previous night’s fatigue, he claimed, he fell much sooner.
The victim claimed in the warrant affidavit that Vallejo told him the pain was” just an excuse” and that he became angry as he labored to make agonizing noises. According to the warrant affidavit, he claimed Vallejo grabbed him and threw him across the room.
According to the warrant affidavit, Vallejo then allegedly told the victim that he was done and to remove his uniform, but the victim claimed he refused to do so and was instructed to return to the pushup position to correctly recite the code. According to the warrant affidavit, Vallejo then allegedly choked the victim by pressing his forearm against the wall and choking him. The victim reported to state police that he removed his uniform afterward and that Vallejo texted the victim to withdraw from the fraternity the following day.
The victim complained to UConn police the following month that Vallejo had assaulted him once more when he returned his fraternity uniform and had refused to pay the remainder of his initiation fee.
State police said Vallejo posted$ 30, 000 bond when he was arrested last Friday. Following his arrest this week, Vallejo was released on a$ 5, 000 non- surety bond. He is scheduled to appear in , Rockville Superior Court , on , May 21 , in connection with both cases.
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