Wednesday, November 20, 2002
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Wednesday, November 20, 2002 |
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Football hazing at FCHS brings 3 arrests By JOHN MUNFORD
Three Fayette County High School senior football players have been arrested for tying up a teammate who was assaulted last week in the team's locker room. One of the three, Jason Watford, 18, is accused of striking the victim a 16-year-old sophomore with a weightlifting belt and dragging the victim along the carpeted floor, said Lt. Beverly Trainor of the Fayetteville Police Department. The other two players charged in the incident, Matthew Hosington, 18, and Jeb Thaxton, 17, helped a witness stop the assault, Trainor said. Watford is charged with simple battery and reckless conduct while Hosington and Thaxton are charged with being a party to the crime of reckless conduct. The three suspects "tackled" the victim to subdue him before binding his hands and feet with athletic tape, Trainor said. Although all three suspects were "out of school" Monday, according to school spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, she could not confirm details, citing federal education privacy laws. Police believe the motive for the attack was retribution, since the victim allegedly had something to do with the suspects having to run extra laps as a disciplinary measure, Trainor added. The victim suffered abrasion burns on his back and shoulders, Trainor said. According to the school system's student code of conduct, the penalty for committing a violent act can range from a short-term suspension from school to recommendation that the case be heard by a disciplinary tribunal which could consider a long-term suspension or expulsion from school, Berry-Dreisbach said. School officials are continuing to look into the matter, Berry-Dreisbach added. "We want the community to know we have followed the procedures in the student code of conduct and we will continue to do so," Berry-Dreisbach said. The incident occurred while several players were cleaning out their lockers last Monday around noon, Trainor said. No adult was present at the time of the incident, she added. The matter came to light after rumors began to circulate and school administrators requested assistance from the department, Trainor said.
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