U.S. Secret Service employee among 3 arrested in alleged South Florida hazing incidents that left victims hospitalized

A United States Secret Service employee is now on administrative leave after he and two other people were accused in violent hazing incidents that left victims hospitalized, according to officials.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Sweetwater Police Chief Sergio Diez identified the suspects as 29-year-old Marquez Christopher Pinder, 26-year-old Jared Lamar James and 29-year-old Elijah Delano Dyous.

Pinder, a U.S. Secret Service employee, is now on administrative leave.

"The United States Secret Service takes seriously any criminal allegations involving one of our employees," said Special Agent in charge Michael Townsend of the Miami Field Office. "As the Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office, I have been informed that a local law enforcement agency is investigating one of our employees. We are fully cooperating with the investigation."

In the statement, Townsend said he wasn't able to comment on details surrounding the investigation, but said that "the employee is on administrative leave and has been since the moment we were notified."

"The Secret Service is built upon the trust and confidence placed in us by our protectees and the American people," Townsend continued. "We hold our employees to the highest standards. The Secret Service remains committed to accountability, professionalism, and integrity, and any misconduct will be addressed swiftly and appropriately upon completion of the investigative and judicial process."

Investigators said the alleged hazing involved prolonged and repeated beatings with canes and paddles. According to prosecutors, the victims were beaten after they failed to correctly answer questions about the fraternity.

According to officials, one of the victims suffered from kidney failure and even needed surgery.

The incidents allegedly began April 1 at an apartment in the 400 block of Southwest 183rd Street in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. 

Pinder, James and Dyous face various counts of attempted manslaughter with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon causing great bodily harm and hazing with a deadly weapon, according to the state attorney's office.

Details on the specific fraternity or college involved or additional information on the victims' conditions have not been released.