Dozen Salisbury University students face assault, hate crime charges after alleged beating

A dozen college students in Maryland have been charged after authorities said they used social media to lure a man to an apartment and assaulted him.

The arresting agency, the Salisbury Police Department, initially announced charges against seven of the Salisbury University students in a press release on Tuesday after the alleged assault occurred in October. Authorities released another update on Thursday, adding the names of five more students allegedly involved.

Police said an investigation revealed the man was targeted by the students "due to his sexual preferences."

Salisbury University is located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, more than 100 miles southeast of Baltimore.

Police notified of alleged assault at off-campus apartment

On Halloween, university police called the Salisbury Police Department about an assault that happened in an off-campus apartment for college-aged students, the release said. 

Detectives spoke to witnesses and saw a video on a cell phone that showed a man being assaulted by “several college-aged men,” the Salisbury Police Department wrote in its news release.

Once detectives found out who the victim was, they met with him to learn more.

Suspects verbally and physically assaulted the victim for several minutes, police say

The victim, who is not a student at Salisbury University, told authorities the assault happened on Oct. 15.

The victim said a group of men used a social media account to invite him to a home “under false pretenses.” When the victim showed up, multiple men surrounded him and forced him to sit in a chair in the middle of the living room.

They then began kicking, punching and spitting on the man while calling him “derogatory names,” police said. 

According to the victim, he tried to leave the apartment multiple times but was thrown to the floor whenever he tried to do so. Authorities said the assault lasted for several minutes. The victim sought medical treatment and doctors told him he had not only bruises but also a broken rib.

“The investigation revealed that the victim was targeted due to his sexual preferences,” Salisbury police said in the news release.

Assault captured on video leads to a wave of arrests

Investigators initially identified seven men who they say were involved in the assault. The list includes:

• Zachary Leinemann, 18
• Bennan Aird, 18
• Cruz Cespedes, 19
• Elijah Johnson, 19
• Riley Brister, 20
• Dylan Earp, 20
• Ryder Baker, 20 

On Thursday, authorities announced that five more people had been charged, including:

• Cameron Guy, 18
• Jacob Howard, 19
• Patrick Gutierrez, 19
• Dylan Pietuszka, 20
• Eric Sinclair, 21

The men have been charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and hate crime charges.

Each suspect was taken to the Salisbury Police Department for processing and was later released to the Wicomico County Detention Center, police said.

Attorneys say victim tried to solicit sex from a person he thought was a minor

James L. Britt, an attorney representing Leinemann, said in a statement to USA TODAY that the victim solicited sex from who he thought was a 16-year-old.

"In our system of justice, every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty after a trial in which all of the relevant facts are presented," Britt wrote in an email to USA TODAY Friday. "Once all of the facts are out, it will be quite clear that this case has less to do with sexual orientation than with a grown man soliciting a child for sex."

Steven W. Rakow, a lawyer representing Brister, expressed similar sentiments in a statement, saying that what happened was "not a hate crime."

Rakow said the victim of the assault is at least 40 years old and "showed up ... looking to have sex with a 16-year-old."

The age of consent in Maryland is 16 years old, according to the People's Law Library of Maryland.

"What exactly transpired after he arrived is still unknown as we do not yet have any of the state’s discovery – no police reports, no witness statements, no medical records indicating or confirming any injuries to anyone involved, the existence of a video has not been confirmed or shared with the defense, and we have no idea who the individuals are that notified police more than 2 weeks after the incident occurred," Rakow said.

He said his client, Brister, was released on Wednesday and will plead not guilty. There is a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 6. By then, Rakow expects to have more information.

"The state will simply put a law enforcement officer on the stand to read the statement of probable cause," Rakow said. "I expect that despite cross examination of the officer, the judge will find probable cause to believe a felony was committed and forward the case to circuit court for further proceedings and trial."

The Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office would not comment on the claims Friday.

It was not immediately clear on Friday who is representing Cespedes, Earp, Baker, Guy, Howard, Pietuszka and Sinclair. The Wicomico County Public Defender's Office, who is listed as the representing party for Gutierrez and Johnson, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday, and neither did a lawyer representing Aird.

University, fraternity respond to student arrests

Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre responded publicly to the arrests on Wednesday afternoon. In a message shared on Facebook, Lepre said the Salisbury University community had been plagued with a feeling of “shock and disbelief.”

“Let me be clear,” she wrote. “We are upset by these allegations. I am upset by these allegations.”

Calling the alleged assault “disturbing” and “horrifying,” Lepre said Salisbury University is supposed to be a place where people should feel safe. Violence, she said, is “unacceptable.”

She encouraged community members to let the investigation take its course and try not to speculate. 

She said she has pushed the university’s Office of Student Affairs to take “appropriate interim suspension actions” per the university’s policies.

President Lepre made more public comments Thursday evening after authorities announced the second wave of arrests. 

Calling the attack “an act of visceral hate,” Lepre said violence against LGBTQ+ and Ally communities are “destructive” and don’t represent the campus community’s belief in respect. 

“While these crimes were not perpetrated against another student, the thought of this happening to anyone - regardless of the circumstances - is dismaying,” she wrote.

Lepre said she and other school administrators have met with members of the LGBTQ+ community to find ways to “heal as a community.” The university will be creating a task force on LGBTQ+ inclusiveness.

She also said there will be a unity walk and community vigil on Monday. 

Some of the men are members of a fraternity on campus called Sigma Alpha Epsilon, wrote Lepre in a Facebook post about the arrests on Thursday.

Lepre said the students involved have been placed on suspension, meaning they are restricted from campus and can’t take any classes either in-person or virtually. The fraternity, she said, has been suspended as well.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon said in a statement Friday afternoon that the organization is disappointed to hear about the accusations against former members. 

"These individuals’ actions do not align with the values of our organization or reflect the principles of our Fraternity’s creed, The True Gentleman," the fraternity said, adding that the members involved have been expelled. According to the fraternity, the Fraternity Service Center has reviewed the incident and said it was "isolated to the expelled individuals." 

"The remaining members of our chapter are devoted to our mission and continue to uphold the high standards expected of Sigma Alpha Epsilon," the statement read.

Lawyer says university 'jumped to conclusions'

Rakow, who is representing Brister, said it's "unfortunate" that Salisbury University has issued statements and "jumped to conclusions by suspending these young men before there has been any findings related to this incident."

"Apparently, due process doesn’t apply to academia," he wrote.

Authorities said Thursday that the investigation is ongoing.

They ask that anyone with information about the incident or similar situations contact the Salisbury Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at (410) 548-3165 or submit tips anonymously through Crime Solvers at (410) 548-1776.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].