Maryland, My Maryland

12 of the 15 students accused of
entrapping and beating a gay man 

The Annapolis Crapitol Gazette reports Hate crime charges dropped against majority of Salisbury University students

The majority of Salisbury University students accused of entrapping and beating a gay man off campus no longer face hate crime or felony assault charges, according to the Maryland Judiciary.

After several court hearings Thursday, 12 of the 15 students implicated in the alleged attack, which was recorded on video, are charged with second-degree assault, a broad misdemeanor, and most are accused of false imprisonment.

The three fraternity members still being prosecuted for a hate crime are from Anne Arundel County:

• Zachary Leinemann, 18, of Crofton
• Elijah Johnson, 19, of Crofton
• Logan Clark, 19, of Severna Park

Clark is the only defendant still facing a felony assault charge, court records show, while at least two others had more than 50 charges dropped Thursday.

In a statement, the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office said it had “reviewed the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation and [had] charged as appropriate in light of that evidence,” declining to comment further.

As of Friday, just Leinemann and Johnson’s cases have been elevated to the county’s circuit court. Most of the defendants are scheduled for district court trials in late January.

It's interesting that a racially diverse group of students found it a good idea to beat a gay guy.