Judge Dismisses Charges In Upper St. Clair Hazing Incident
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A Bethel Park District Court judge dismissed charges against three Upper Saint Clair High School students accused of hazing five incoming freshmen boys.
Parents said they are prepared to take the case to the district attorney after a judge dismissed charges against a group of seniors who paddled their younger sons.
"Thirty-some kids watched my son got beat and it is ridiculous that this is allowed. They just got away with it," Billie Williams said.
Williams can't believe three young men will not face further punishment for reportedly paddling her son and four other boys this summer.
The paddling was captured on video and in pictures. The alleged act left welts and bruising on the underclassmen boys' buttocks, according to their parents.
It was reportedly done with hockey sticks and wooden boards. Upper Saint Clair police were alerted about the incidents after the paddled freshmen's parents showed up at the police station.
The upperclassmen students allegedly hit the five incoming freshmen to haze them.
Parents said the freshmen boys received text messages threatening them to meet the upperclassmen at a certain place.
"They were told do it now or it's worse later. I've heard that these senior boys are going back into school and being applauded as heroes when it's the freshmen boys, these five freshmen boys that are here today. They're the heroes. They're putting a stop to what's going on for how many years?"
An attorney for one of the defendants said the judge decided punishment on a school level was sufficient. The three upperclassmen were already suspended from school.
"My client feels bad about it. It was a prank gone too far and now he knows this is something that is not acceptable, but he was already punished and it was dismissed," attorney Frank Walker said.
The lead detective said he was disappointed by the ruling and the parents said this is not over.
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