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UFla Pike withdraws hazing charge
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Pledge rescinds charges
By KYLIE CRAIG
Alligator Writer
Troy Devine, the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity member who accused the fraternity of illegal hazing and vandalization, withdrew his complaint with the Dean of Students Office on Thursday night after the fraternity questioned his credibility.
In an e-mail sent to Associate Dean of Students Paige Crandall, Devine wrote he has decided to "fully and completely withdraw my complaint" because "no one else has had the courage to come forward," and he feared the issue would become a "credibility war," among other reasons.
Fraternity officials said Thursday that Devine offered to withdraw the complaint if he were compensated for $2,000 in damage to his property. Devine had filed a police report and claimed fraternity members vandalized his room and stole his property from the chapter house.
Eric Wulf, Pike executive director at the national level, said national headquarters hasn't done anything in part because Devine's actions cast doubt on his complaint.
"The situation began to get strange," Wulf said. "That's the best way I can think to describe it."
Pike President John Allen said Devine made the same offer to the local chapter.
"The chapter adviser received an e-mail saying, 'I'll retract this if you give me compensation,'" Allen said. "There were a lot of things that call his credibility into question."
Devine kept making offers to retract his statement in exchange for financial compensation and increased the requested amount over time, Allen said.
Devine denied increasing his financial demands Thursday but did admit he asked for compensation.
But he said the fraternity approached him about dropping the complaint in exchange for cash.
Devine said he told the members he wouldn't drop the complaint unless they met a list of requests.
He asked Pike to make internal changes against hazing, compensate him for what was stolen and punish the members involved in the hazing and those who stole his belongings.
After none of his demands were met, Devine said he continued with the allegations.
This isn't the first time Devine has decided to withdraw the complaint. After filing the complaint with the dean's office in June, he withdrew it for unknown reasons and then decided to follow up on it in July.
The complaint was originally filed with former Director of Student Judicial Affairs Cyrus Williams, who allegedly told the fraternity he wasn't going to act on it.
"When this came on his (Williams') desk, he said there was no proof of anything and he wasn't going to take action on it," Allen said.
Crandall re-opened the case when Williams left office in August.
Williams declined to comment on his involvement.
It is unclear whether the dean's office will file charges because in his request to withdraw the complaint, Devine did not deny hazing occurred.
Allen said the fraternity would cooperate fully with the university in its investigation.
"In the Greek community, you're guilty until proven innocent," Allen said. "After the investigation takes place, we are confident nothing will come of this."
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