State prosecutors have dropped all charges against the seven Zeta Phi Beta sorority members who were accused of hazing and assaulting a university student in October.
A 22-year-old student accused the women — alumna Bridget Blount, 24; alumna Zakiya Shivers, 26; Tymesha Pendleton, 26; Monika Young, 23; student Kandyce Jackson, 20; student Montressa Hammond, 24; and student Amber Bijou, 22 — of assaulting her on three separate occasions in off-campus houses owned by other sorority members. Five were set to appear in court earlier this month on second-degree assault and hazing charges, but according to Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, prosecutors dropped the cases due to lack of evidence.
Bill Shelton, who served as Young’s attorney, said the victim’s account of the incidents didn’t seem to add up with other time frames. He noted she admitted to returning to those houses even after she reportedly had been assaulted or hazed the first time.
“It is my understanding that anything that happened in those houses was of a consensual nature,” Shelton said. “The young lady went to those meetings because she wanted to go to those meetings. … Whether they put their hands on her, I don’t know. But when you’re in college and when you join a sorority … you usually know what you’re going to get into.”
According to charging documents, the victim was reportedly choked, punched in the arm, thrown around a room and paddled on the buttocks with an oak paddle. The series of assaults allegedly left her with severe bruising on her chest and arms. She reported the incidents to University Police and identified the seven suspects through pictures with Prince George’s County Police.
If found guilty, each of the sorority sisters could have faced six months of jail and/or a $500 fine for hazing, in addition to up to 10 years in jail and/or a $2,500 fine for assault.
Vice President for Student Affairs Linda Clement confirmed that Zeta Phi Beta — a historically black society that has existed at this university for nearly 30 years — remains indefinitely suspended from the university, as it has been since the hazing allegations first arose. She said the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life will continue to investigate whether the sorority violated university policy before a decision can be made on whether the organization will be reinstated.
“I have confidence in the district attorney’s office,” Clement said of the dropped charges. “I feel this is unfortunate for the young woman who had brought up these charges, but I cannot question the decision they made and I accept that outcome.”
Matt Supple, the director of DFSL, was out of the office this week and could not be reached for comment.
Zeta Phi Beta was only one of several Greek chapters at the university that have faced suspensions, bans, investigations and criminal charges in recent months, and Clement said officials are preparing to revamp efforts to crack down on hazing. This summer, the university will be launching a special task force to look into how officials can raise further awareness of this issue and educate students on preventing future incidents.
“I think we always try to be vigilant, but unfortunately these things do happen,” Clement said. “There’s always more we can do. I have to have confidence that more education will help to combat this issue.”
