BOWLING GREEN — A trial date was moved Thursday for the six remaining defendants charged in a Bowling Green State University student’s hazing death and is now scheduled for May of next year.
Following a closed teleconference hearing in Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman’s chambers with prosecutors and defense attorneys, Prosecutor Paul Dobson said the judge granted the six defendants requests to move the three-week trial from January and will instead begin on May 16.
On trial will be Jacob Krinn, 20, of Delaware, Ohio; Benjamin Boyers, 22, of Sylvania; Troy Henricksen, 23, of Grove City, Ohio; Daylen Dunson, 20, of Cleveland; Canyon Caldwell, 21, of Dublin, Ohio, and Jarrett Prizel, 19, of Olean, N.Y., stemming from the March death of Stone Foltz, a 20-year-old BGSU sophomore from Delaware, Ohio.
According to an investigation into the hazing death, Mr. Foltz died in early March after participating in a tradition of Pi Kappa Alpha’s campus chapter in which fraternity pledges were expected to swallow a full bottle of liquor as part of their initiation. It was during this event that Mr. Foltz drank a 750-milliliter bottle of Evan Williams bourbon, known as a “family bottle,” in a reported 20 minutes, accidentally causing his own death, according to an investigative report prepared for BGSU by attorney David DeVillers of the firm of Barnes & Thornburg.
After the incident, Mr. Foltz was taken to Wood County Hospital and then ProMedica Toledo Hospital, where he was placed on life support and died two days later. The coroner declared fatal ethanol intoxication to be the cause of death and identified his blood-alcohol content as 0.35 percent.
Prosecutors say Mr. Krinn served as the “Big” to Mr. Foltz, a term used in fraternities to represent a big brother/little brother relationship for incoming pledges, and was with Mr. Foltz at the March 4 event.
Charges against Mr. Krinn include first-degree manslaughter and second-degree felonious assault, both of which could result in decade-plus prison terms if he is convicted. The other defendants face an array of charges including third degree involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, hazing, failure to comply with underage-drinking laws, and obstructing official business.
Two others charged in the case — 21-year-old Aaron Lehane, of Loveland, Ohio, and Niall Sweeney, 21, of Erie, Pa. — pleaded guilty to reduced charges within the past two months. Mr. Dobson has said his recommendation for sentencing will be dependent on their continued cooperation in the prosecution of their co-defendants.
Also still unresolved are allegations against Mr. Krinn that he violated one of his bond conditions last month after his electronic monitor detected he had consumed alcohol.
During an October hearing, Mr. Krinn and his Columbus-based attorney, Sam Shamansky, denied that Mr. Krinn consumed alcohol and they offered to submit to a hair follicle test to prove he has complied with his bond conditions and that a bracelet malfunction occurred.
Results from that test were originally scheduled to be presented on Thursday, but Mr. Dobson said the matter did not come up while in the judge’s chambers, adding the matter could be brought back up in the coming weeks.
“The court hasn’t established any other dates. In the meantime, my understanding is the court is going to shore that question up with defense counsel as to what next steps he wants to take,” Mr. Dobson said. “It’s the state’s position that the testing device, the ankle monitor, worked like it was supposed to and we haven’t seen anything to make us believe any different.”
First Published November 18, 2021, 8:48 p.m.
