Madison police arrest two Alpha Epsilon Pi leaders in hazing case

Madison police arrested the president and vice president of an unrecognized University of Wisconsin-Madison fraternity on Wednesday night after officers found about 30 partially clothed men covered in food, condiments and other liquids in the basement of the chapter house on Langdon Street.

Brayden J. Klein and Samuel N. Vane, both 20, were arrested on suspicion of hazing and disorderly conduct and taken to the Dane County Jail, according to a Madison Police Department incident report. Local news outlets have identified Klein as the chapter's president and Vane as its vice president.

The vast majority of those in the basement were 18 years old, and several of the men had visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted. A thermostat in the room was set to 81 degrees, creating hot and humid conditions. Madison police Capt. Kipp Hartman described the injuries as "something fresh, potentially like a strike to the body, not an old injury."

Inside the Langdon Street basement

Officers were dispatched to the Alpha Epsilon Pi house in the 100 block of Langdon Street at about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday after the department received an anonymous tip about a possible hazing event. Inside the basement of the residence, Hartman said, officers found "around 30 partially clothed males covered in food, condiments and other liquids."

Officers declared the gathering unlawful, escorted everyone outside and checked the pledges for incapacitation and injuries. No one was taken for medical treatment, police said. Hartman said he believed most of the men in the basement are University of Wisconsin students.

The department logged the case under the incident type Information, with case number 2026-437753. The report does not identify any of the pledges who were in the basement or say how long the event had been under way, and it includes a photo of the incident under investigation.

Hartman, who has been the captain in the district for two years, said this was the first time he had seen an event like it and that he was unaware of any time before this that it had occurred.

The incident happened during rush week at UW-Madison, when fraternities and sororities recruit new members. Hartman said the department knows recruitment is conducted in various ways and that its concern is student safety.

Two arrests, no charges filed

Both allegations are misdemeanors, Hartman said. The Dane County District Attorney's Office will review the case before deciding whether to file formal charges.

Klein and Vane were the only people arrested, and the report lists no others among the roughly 30 men who were in the basement. Both were present when officers arrived and spoke with them before being taken into custody.

Hartman said anyone who came forward with additional information might not be prosecuted, given the level of cooperation that person could provide to investigators.

The department asked anyone with information about the incident, or anyone who was actively involved in it, to contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or online at p3tips.com. Information may be shared anonymously and could be eligible for a monetary reward.

Conflicting accounts, limited cooperation

Hartman said officers collected statements from everyone inside the house, but some of the accounts did not match one another. He described what investigators received from the group as limited cooperation.

WMTV reported that dozens of students near the house were asked on Thursday about what happened. Many declined to talk, and some who would speak only off camera said they were afraid of retaliation. Police are also monitoring what they believe is misinformation spreading on social media.

Some statements also did not align with what everybody else's statements were, so there were some concerns with what was being said.

Hartman encouraged anyone with firsthand information about what happened inside the fraternity house on Wednesday night to speak directly with investigators.

A chapter terminated in 2015

The University of Wisconsin-Madison terminated Alpha Epsilon Pi's status with the university in 2015, and the chapter is neither recognized nor accredited by it. The national fraternity still recognizes the chapter, and Hartman said it continues to control the house on Langdon Street. The police report describes the group as an unrecognized and unaccredited student organization terminated more than a decade ago.

The university's separate investigation

UW-Madison said its Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards will investigate any students implicated in the incident under its nonacademic misconduct process. The Office of Student Assistance and Support and University Health Services are providing support as needed. The university also shares information about unrecognized and terminated student organizations with students, parents and families at the start of each academic year.

Students found to have violated the law, university regulations or university policy may face sanctions under Wis. Admin. Code Chapter UWS 17. Those sanctions may include a written reprimand, disciplinary probation, disciplinary suspension, expulsion or educational sanctions.

University officials met with national Alpha Epsilon Pi leaders on Thursday to review the incident and discuss possible next steps, and the university said the national organization is cooperating. In its statement, UW-Madison said it is "fully committed to preventing and addressing hazing and takes all incidents involving our community seriously."

Because the chapter continues to be recognized by its national organization, the university said, it is legally allowed to operate as a fraternity chapter unaffiliated with UW-Madison. Students can report hazing anonymously through an online form, and members of Fraternity and Sorority Life can report misconduct through a service the university calls FSL Confidential.

What police recorded that night

The report, posted on the City of Madison's website, lists the location as the 100 block of Langdon Street and the incident date as Sept. 23 at 8:20 p.m. An update added at 2:15 p.m. Thursday says the department is aware that the recruitment process is underway for sororities and fraternities in the community, and asks anyone to reach out if their safety is jeopardized during that process.

Hartman said the department's concern is when things go too far and a person's life or physical safety is at stake, and that is when officers step in. Madison police regularly work with fraternities and sororities to help keep their events safe and legal, he said.

Neither the incident report nor Hartman's public remarks addressed whether more arrests are expected, and no timetable has been made public for the district attorney's review.

UW-Madison did not say how many students its conduct investigation covers or when it expects to finish. The police report says the case remains an ongoing and active investigation.