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| Updated: 12/01/2011 2:45 pm |
Published: 11/30/2011 9:29 pm |
CONWAY, AR – Four UCA students face charges in what the county prosecutor calls a fraternity related incident.
Faulkner County Prosecutor Cody Hiland’s office spent nearly two months pouring through evidence of a home break-in in Conway before charging four UCA students (Tyler Slay, Jeffery Bramlett, James Holder, and Jeremy Atkins) with burglary, terroristic threatening, four counts of criminal mischief, and two counts of third degree battery.
“A lot of people have described this as just ‘frat boys doing their thing,’ but frankly it goes much beyond that,” says Faulkner County Prosecutor Cody Hiland.
Attorney Frank Shaw, who represents two of the accused, says all four suspects are members of UCA’s Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity. Shaw says that the fraternity has an on-going feud with the members of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
The alleged victims told police that the suspects broke into the home on Destin Drive, grabbed one of them by the neck and threatened to kill him. Then they broke down a bedroom door and began beating someone in front of a girlfriend.
The suspects are also charged with breaking a TV and damaging a car and truck.
“This is not a frat boy prank. This is not toilet papering somebody’s house. This is not even getting into a fight at a parking lot at a bar, which is a serious enough thing. This is residential burglary,” says Hiland.
Shaw says his clients will turn themselves in to police later this week, and will get out on bond before appearing in court.
A spokesperson for UCA could only confirm that the four suspects were current students. Before the school decides to take action, they will have to review court documents to determine if the students violated any policies in the student handbook.
Suspect turns himself in
Suspect Jeremy Atkins turned himself in to police Thursday afternoon. According to police, Atkins will be processed into the jail and will likely have to pay bond to get out.
