May 17, 2012 – Investigators in an alleged Penn State hazing case are waiting for medical records from a student who says she was injured in the assault. Freshman Asya Trowell told police in April she was beaten and badly injured while pledging Omega Essence, a “little sisters” group with the fraternity Omega Psi Phi. Police and university investigations continue in the Trowell case, and two other possible hazing incidents, but no charges have been filed in any of the three.
Trowell’s attorney, Harrisburg-based Scott Cooper, said Wednesday that investigators have asked his client for medical records. Cooper said Trowell is in the process of providing police with access to those documents. Trowell returned to her Maryland home after the alleged assault, and does not plan to return to Penn State. She has been focused on finishing her course work and transferring, her attorney said.
“Her main thing has been getting finals done from home and working out a transfer to a new school,” Cooper said.
Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said prosecutors have yet to receive the information they requested.
“We have requested and are waiting to receive the medical records, and when we do we will make the appropriate charging decisions,” she said.
Trowell said she was punched and slapped to the point where she had two black eyes and was bleeding from the nose, according to Cooper, and the account she gave to university police. Cooper said he is confident the medical records investigators are seeking will corroborate his client’s claims.
“It’s going to firmly establish whatever medical issues she had is from this whole incident,” Cooper said.
He said Trowell is recovering from her injuries, but is still experiencing some health issues related to the assault. “She’s still going to the doctor,” he said. “But considering what she went through, she’s coming along.”
In the other, separate hazing investigations, a Penn State employee and a graduate student resigned from positions earlier this month. Aaron Holloman stepped down last week from his position as resident life coordinator of Pennypacker Hall, university officials said. According to a university police report, officers found 10 men in Holloman’s Pennypacker Hall room during spring break, engaged in what police suspect was hazing activity.
Police said Holloman left his room unlocked during spring break. A student, Claude Mayo, allowed the individuals to access the room. Mayo, a graduate assistant at Pennypacker Hall, resigned from that position effective May 2, officials said. Both Mayo and Holloman are also named in a police report in the Trowell case.
The woman told police Mayo is a brother in Omega Psi Phi and drove her and others to the location where her alleged assault occurred.
University police also are investigating a third alleged hazing incident. On April 4, a female student reported she was harassed and exposed to hazing by members of a sorority between January and February. University Police Chief Tyrone Parham said Wednesday investigations into all three cases are ongoing, but no charges have been filed.
If you are the victim of a hazing injury, you may be able to hold the responsible party/ies accountable for their actions. For more information, contact a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer at Schmidt Kramer today for your free consultation. There are no upfront fees if we handle your claim and your initial consultation is also free of charge.
Schmidt Kramer – Est. 1981. Ph: (717) 888-8888.