Seven charged with hazing activities

Seven members of a New England College fraternity, including one man from Litchfield, were arrested this week in connection with hazing activities at a campus party in November. They won’t be the last to see charges, police said Thursday.

Michael Weber, 19, of Litchfield, is one of seven members of Sigma Alpha Beta who were charged with hazing, a misdemeanor. All seven are due in Henniker District Court next month, police said.

Police began investigating the party after four fraternity members were treated at the college’s infirmary for severe burns across their chests. Police said six of seven branded students had deep, 7-inch burns across their chests, and one man suffered burns on his buttocks.

The men arrested this week weren’t directly involved in the branding, police said. They are new recruits who took part in a separate hazing ritual the same night, involving paddling and having ice and coffee grounds thrown on them, police said.

All seven were released on $1,000 personal recognizance bail, police said.

Police have not arrested the members they believe are responsible for the branding, police said. All forms of hazing are illegal in the state and carry misdemeanor charges.

– Concord Monitor