SC sheriff’s office charges 9 with college hazing

FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — Florence County sheriff’s deputies have arrested nine members of a fraternity and charged them with a hazing incident that left a pledge in an area hospital.

The men are all members of Phi Beta Sigma, including three students at Francis Marion University and six alumni. Investigators say a pledge was paddled so badly he had kidney damage.

All nine men have been released on personal recognizance bonds. Hazing is a misdemeanor in South Carolina punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to a year in jail.

The national Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and the university have suspended the chapter at Francis Marion.