Salisbury University hate crime investigation: Five more students charged

Five more Salisbury University students have been charged in connection with an alleged assault in which a man said he was lured to an apartment because of his “sexual preferences” and was punched, kicked and spit on, Salisbury police said Thursday afternoon.

The latest charges come after seven students were arrested earlier this week. Law enforcement is investigating whether the incident was a hate crime.

The 12 men, ages 18 to 21, were each charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crimes, police said.

The five charged Thursday are: Cameron Guy, 18, of Baltimore; Jacob Howard, 19, of Elkridge; Eric Sinclair, 21, of Mount Airy; Patrick Gutierrez, 19, of Salisbury; and Dylan Pietuszka, 20, of Friendship.

The seven students before Those charged are: Zachary Leinemann, 18, of Crofton; Ryder Baker, 20, of Olney; Bennan Aird, 18, of Milton, Delaware; Riley Brister, 20, of Davidsonville; Cruz Cespedes, 19, of Jarrettsville; Dylan Earp, 20, of Gambrills; and Elijah Johnson, 19, of Crofton.

The university said the students were suspended, as was the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, of which some of the suspects were members.

Leinemann’s attorney said the situation 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 he said propositioned a 16-year-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.

The injured man, named in charging documents but not given his age, told police he was “lured” by Leinemann on Oct. 15 to an apartment in the 1400 block of University Terrace in Salisbury. The man said the two met on the dating app Grindr, then spoke via text message and Snapchat.

He said he traveled to the apartment to have sex, according to charging documents.

“Leinemann posed as a 16-year-old, which was confirmed by [the victim] via messaging,” an official wrote.

Leinemann let the man into the apartment and then signaled more than a dozen people to leave the bedrooms.

According to charging documents, the man was slapped, punched, kicked, spit on, hit in the head several times with a cooking pan, shot at with a salt gun, doused with water and insulted and other derogatory insults.

Police said the man repeatedly tried to escape the apartment but was thrown to the ground. He said he suffered a broken rib and believes he was targeted because of his homosexuality.

The victim told police he didn’t tell them about the attack because he was threatened and feared for his safety.

Police obtained cell phone video of the incident and located the victim based on his license plate number, police said.

Steven Rakow, an attorney representing Brister, said his client plans to plead not guilty to all charges.

“Let’s be clear: This was not a hate crime,” Rakow wrote in an email.

The victim in the case showed up at the apartment where Brister lives “looking for sex with a 16-year-old,” Rakow wrote.

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.

Court records show the first seven men charged were released on their own recognizance and under electronic monitoring. Leinemann and Brister have private attorneys, Aird and Johnson are represented by a public defender and no attorneys are listed for the others. Their trials or hearings are scheduled for December.

Three of the five men in the second group were also released on their own recognizance and under electronic monitoring, according to online court records. Jacob was released without electronic monitoring and faces additional charges of stalking and kidnapping.

Pietuszka remains in custody and is due to be released on bail on November 8th. Like Jacob, he is also accused of stalking and kidnapping.

None of the second group have attorneys listed in online court records.

In an email message to students, faculty and staff Thursday, university President Carolyn Ringer Lepre said the community must “acknowledge the harm that hate and violence have inflicted on our community.”

“Although these crimes were not committed against another student, the thought that this could happen to anyone — regardless of the circumstances — is disturbing,” she wrote.