BOWLING GREEN — A judge on Wednesday sentenced two former Bowling Green State University students to serve jail time for contributing to the 2021 hazing-related death of fraternity pledge Stone Foltz.
Judge Joel Kuhlman of Wood County Common Pleas Court sentenced Jacob Krinn, 21, of Delaware, Ohio, and Troy Henricksen, 24, of Grove City, Ohio, to serve 42 days in jail. After serving their sentence, both will be placed on community control, take a mental health assessment, gain employment, and complete 100 hours of community service.
In May, a jury found Jacob Krinn, 21, of Delaware, Ohio, guilty of obstructing official business, hazing, and failure to comply with underage alcohol laws in connection with the March 7, 2021 death of Mr. Foltz, a 20-year-old BGSU sophomore who was also from Delaware. Mr. Henricksen was found guilty of eight counts of hazing and seven counts of failure to comply with underage alcohol laws.
During Wednesday’s hearing, attorneys for both men asked Judge Kuhlman to waive jail time, arguing Mr. Krinn and Mr. Henricksen have no prior criminal records, complied with all terms of pretrial release, and have been model citizens for roughly 1 1/2 years since they’ve been charged. Both attorneys added their clients are guilty of misdemeanors, having been found not guilty of more serious charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, and — in Mr. Henricksen’s case — of tampering with evidence.
“The courts already recognized and there's been a lot of discussion about protecting the public from hazing as a whole and I recognize that it's a very noble goal to do,” said Eric Long, Mr. Henricksen’s attorney. “And as the court has noted previously, we're not going to look at people like Troy Henricksen or any other individual defendants to make a long-lasting change.
“This has to be institutional, it has to be the universities, it has to be the Greek organizations,” Mr. Long added. “Sentencing short of a year in prison or a month in prison — is that the minimum sanction necessary to complete the goals?”
Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson argued that Mr. Krinn and Mr. Henricksen each played particular roles in causing Mr. Foltz’s death. Mr. Krinn pressured Mr. Foltz to swallow a full bottle of liquor as part of his fraternity initiation, which resulted in him being taken to a hospital where he was placed on life support and died two days later, Mr. Dobson said. And when Mr. Krinn had an opportunity to help with the police investigation, he lied to police, Mr. Dobson added.
Mr. Krinn had served as the “Big” to Mr. Foltz, a term used in fraternities to represent a big brother/little brother relationship for incoming pledges, Mr. Dobson said.
Mr. Henricksen was the fraternity’s pledge educator at the time who was in charge of Pike’s new member orientation process and safety, among other duties. For his part, Mr. Dobson argued that despite Mr. Henricksen not attending the event the night Mr. Foltz died, Mr. Henricksen knew hazing would occur at the pledge event and didn’t warn them, organized similar events in the past, and was himself hazed years ago when he was a pledge.
For both men, Mr. Dobson said they're educated, they've received instruction about how hazing is dangerous and wrong, yet intentionally engaged in it as a prerequisite to admission in their fraternity.
“I don't know what it takes to stop hazing or if it's possible. Through this case, and particularly with [Mr. Henricksen], I can see why it persists,” Mr. Dobson said. “‘It's not my fault.’ ‘It's not my fault,’ is why it persists. It's a failure of others to accept responsibility for their conduct.”
Mr. Foltz’s parents, Cory and Shari, attended sentencing hearings for both men and at times were emotional as they read from prepared statements asking Judge Kuhlman to impose the harshest punishment possible.
“I am asking you to do what is right and to show to all the young men and women in this world that hazing is real and that there are consequences for hazing,” Mrs. Foltz said to Judge Kuhlman. “Show them and parents there is accountability and what can occur.”
Judge Kuhlman agreed with Mr. Dobson that Mr. Krill was in a trusted relationship with Mr. Foltz and was best suited to step in and look out for Mr. Foltz’s interests. After reading a statement from Mr. Henricksen, Judge Kuhlman said he appeared “clueless” as to the role he played and what being a leader is supposed to mean regarding taking responsibility.
Following the hearing, Mr. Dobson said he was pleased with the outcome and hopeful that it will have an impact on the two men and others to think harder about their actions when it comes to hazing.
“And I'm hopeful even beyond what we've accomplished today that this never happens again,” he said. “That this never happens again anywhere, but certainly that we have demonstrated that there's a consequence to be paid.
“And the judge is right, and Mrs. Foltz is right, in the fact that it's not just one aspect,” Mr. Dobson said. “It's not just the students, it's not just the university, it’s not just the courts. But the only way that things will be changed is by doing it all together.”
Mr. Krinn was taken to the county jail immediately after his sentence on Wednesday, while Mr. Henricksen was taken there later in the afternoon by his attorney.
First Published August 17, 2022, 9:15 p.m.
