Marijuana found in hotel rooms
Police found “a few grams of marijuana” in addition to alcohol in the Super 8 Motel rooms wrecked by nine Delta Chi Fraternity pledges, said Estes Park police Detective Rick Life.
Estes Park police responded to an anonymous complaint of loud partying in two Super 8 Motel rooms at 2:39 a.m. Feb. 17. They arrested nine Delta Chi Fraternity pledges found in the rooms.
Life said when the nine were questioned about what had happened, they responded that “things just got out of hand”.
The Delta Chi Fraternity suspended its CU chapter in response to the incident.
The nine pledges were Britt Chester, William Martin, Kyle Jungels, Anthony Cronin, Nicholas Mortimer, Lukas Feyh, Kyle Maltz, Andrew Sapiro, and Matthew Bowen.
“I was in my bed and got a call from police,” said Vincent Chung, owner and general manager of the Super 8 Motel.
Chung then went over to the hotel room and said he saw several kids and many holes in the wall.
Life said the new estimate of damage done to the motel rooms is over $15,000. According to a press release from Estes Park Police, damages included a three foot by one and a half foot hole in the wall between the bathroom and bedroom, ceiling fans and heating units ripped from their places and torn apart and vomit and blood on various surfaces. Lamps, phones and furniture were also broken.
Life said some of the pledges photographed the event using their cell phones.
Police found bottles of liquor and a keg of Keystone light in the rooms. The 18 to 20-year-old pledges were arrested for criminal mischief and underage consumption of alcohol, but will not be charged with possession of marijuana. They were transported to the Larimer County Detention Center.
The IFC president and other members and officers of Delta Chi who were contacted declined to comment.
“What happened with these individuals is absolutely deplorable if you ask me,” said John Henderson, director of Greek Life. “Obviously those individuals, potentially others, need to be held accountable and the chapter itself is highly suspect.”
In addition to suspending its CU chapter, Delta Chi headquarters is investigating the incident along with the Interfraternity Council judicial board, the CU judicial affairs board and law enforcement, said CU Greek Advocate Marc Stine.
“[The IFC judicial board] has mentioned that they were going to see what the national headquarters opts to do,” Henderson said.
Stine said punishment from the IFC could range from a reprimand to expulsion.
Delta Chi plans to finish its investigation by next week.
In the meantime, the chapter is banned from all but basic activities such as cooking and sleeping in the house.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Sam Dieter at Samuel.Dieter@colorado.edu.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Emily Burrows-Poretsky at Emily.Burrows-Poretsky@colorado.edu.
