ORLANDO, Fla. – A hazing scandal at the University of Central Florida has placed a sorority on suspension, and three sorority members who were under investigation have now resigned from the chapter.
Two students came forward about the allegations, saying they were hazed in early April and supplied campus police text messages and pictures showing what happened.
One freshman told investigators that sorority sisters at Chi Omega forced her to binge drink to the point that she blacked out.
"I had too much alcohol in my system that I just kind of went numb," said one of the 19-year-old victims in a videotaped interview with UCF police. "I've never blacked out before."
The student told police three older sorority members were glaring at her and trying to intimidate her when they picked her up, blind-folded her and another 19-year-old victim, and then led the teens into woods near campus.
That's when they forced the freshmen to drink an entire bottle of Dragon Berry Bacardi rum.
One victim said the alleged hazers told them to tilt their heads back and open their mouths. Then they poured a liquid substance into their mouths, which they assumed was alcohol. They were then instructed to finish the bottle while remaining blind-folded in the woods.
Once the students finished the alcohol, the suspects then abandoned them at campus parking lot and forced them to find their own way home, while drunk late at night. By then, one teen was already was so intoxicated she could not stand and was carried home, unconscious, by the second victim and her boyfriend.
The victims said they were told to lie about what happened. However, they told the truth to investigators but declined to prosecute. That means none of the suspects will be charged with any crime.
Although the criminal investigation is over, UCF could still punish the sorority and the three suspects in the case.
The sorority's national office released a statement saying it will cooperate with UCF in the investigation and praised its members for reporting the alleged hazing.
"While we are disappointed in the university's decision that our chapter should remain under interim suspension, the Chi Omega national organization remains very proud of its local chapter leadership for taking swift action to report the incident immediately, thus ensuring the safety of its members moving forward," spokesperson Whitney Heckathorne said.