3 Florida A&M band members appear in court in brutal hazing of freshman female
(CBS/AP) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Three Florida A&M University marching band members appeared before a judge Tuesday to face hazing charges in the beating of Bria Shante Hunter, who police said was hit so hard with fists and a metal ruler that she broke her thigh and had blood clots in her legs.
Police said that on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, Hunter was beaten with fists and a metal ruler to initiate her into the "Red Dawg Order," an A&M band clique for students from Georgia. Authorities said she had tried to get out of going to a meeting, and the severe rituals ensued.
Sean Hobson, 23 and Aaron Golson, 19, are facing hazing and felony battery charges, and James Harris, 22, also faces a hazing charge. A university spokeswoman confirmed all three are students.
All three were granted bail Tuesday. Golson's and Hobson's bail was set at $10,000 and Harris' was set to $2,500.
The three are reportedly not allowed to contact one another or the victim, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Golson and Harris have lawyers and have been bailed out, while Hobson is still in Leon County Jail as his family finds legal representation, the Democrat reports.
Police say Hunter was beaten on two occasions, three weeks before drum major Robert Champion died during a band trip to Orlando. Police suspect hazing contributed to Champion's death.
In the fall incidents with Hunter, she told police days after her beatings the pain became so unbearable she went to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed her with a broken thigh, and blood clots in her legs.
Champion's death and these arrests have shed light on a hazing tradition that has plagued the university. Former clarinet player Ivery Luckey was hospitalized after he said he was paddled 300 times in 1998. In 2001, band member Marcus Parker suffered kidney damage because of a paddle beating.
Four students connected to Champion's death were expelled but then reinstated. After Champion died the university suspended performances by the famous marching band and school President James Ammons has pledged to break what he calls a "code of silence" on the hazing rituals.
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December 13, 2011 - 3 Florida A&M band members charged with brutal hazing