Fraternity expels Salisbury students accused of hate crimes investigation

Some Salisbury University students accused of attacking a man in a suspected hate crime in which the victim was kicked, spat on and shot with a salt gun have been expelled from their fraternity.

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity expelled members after learning of the incident, in which police said the victim was targeted because of his “sexual preferences.”

“Sigma Alpha Epsilon condemns hate and violence in all forms and we are disappointed that members of our chapter were involved in such an act,” Dave Pascarella, communications director for the fraternity’s national branch, wrote in a statement. “The Fraternity Service Center has reviewed the circumstances of the incident and confirmed that only those identified were involved.”

Twelve men ages 18 to 21 were each charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crimes, police said. It was not immediately clear how many of the 12 men were also members of the fraternity.

Salisbury University said the students had been suspended and the fraternity had also been suspended.

Lawyers for two of the accused men said last week that the alleged attack had nothing to do with the victim’s sexual orientation.

Attorney James L. Britt said the alleged victim was a man in his 40s who proposed marriage to a person he thought was 16 years old.

“Once all the facts come to light, this case will prove to be an ill-advised attempt to expose someone willing to travel to have sexual relations with a 16-year-old child,” he wrote in an email last week .

According to charging documents, Zachary The 18-year-old Leinemann posed as a 16-year-old and used the gay dating app Grindr as well as Snapchat and SMS to communicate with the victim.

The victim, who said she suffered bruises and a broken rib, was let into an off-campus apartment by Leinemann and attacked by more than a dozen young men, police allege.

In Maryland, the age of consent is generally 16. According to the People’s Law Library, stricter rules apply to consent for people in positions of authority, such as a teacher.

All defendants were released without bail and all but two are under electronic monitoring, according to online court records.

Baltimore Banner reporter Ellie Wolfe contributed to this report.