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UW-Madison fraternity pledges found injured in basement; two members charged
Madison police say 30 pledges were found in a hot basement, covered in food and other substances, with visible injuries. Two 20-year-old fraternity members face hazing and disorderly conduct charges as the investigation continues.
Two members of a fraternity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were charged after police found 30 pledges in the group’s basement Wednesday night, some visibly injured and most reportedly 18 years old.
Brayden Klein and Samuel Vane, both 20, were taken to the Dane County Jail on charges of hazing and disorderly conduct. Each posted $400 bail Thursday morning. The investigation is ongoing.
Police said the pledges were shirtless and covered in food, condiments and other liquids. The basement temperature had been raised to 81 degrees, creating hot, humid conditions. The group is Alpha Epsilon Pi, whose UW-Madison chapter was suspended by the university in 2015. The fraternity continued to maintain its campus house, where the pledges were found.
The fraternity said it condemned the incident and would expel those responsible. “Hazing is a betrayal of everything our fraternity stands for,” it said in a statement.
Alpha Epsilon Pi was founded in 1913 and has chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. The charges are allegations, and the investigation has not concluded.