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Victim in De La Salle hazing refused to be interviewed, prosecutor says

18-year-old senior could face assault charge as adult

WARREN, Mich. – Three teens could be charged with assault in connection to hazing in the De La Salle Collegiate High School football program.

RELATED: 3 teens could face charges in De La Salle football team hazing

Two 16-year-old boys are expected to be charged as juveniles, according to the Warren police commissioner.

An 18-year-old senior at the school, who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged crime, could face an assault charge as an adult.

Warren Police commissioner Bill Dwyer said the tradition of football hazing at De La Salle Collegiate High School goes back years and is so well known, it keeps younger players in constant fear.

According to authorities, a team dinner was held Oct. 19 and the younger players knew the hazing was coming. Some ran from their teammates.

Police are asking for assault charges on an 18-year-old who was 17 when the incident happened.

Dwyer said the students allegedly held the victim to the floor of the locker room and used a broom during the incident.

Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said the victim in the case doesn’t want the case to go forward and refused to be interviewed by police.

De La Salle forfeited its high school playoff game due to the allegations of hazing in the team locker room.

Smith released the following statement Friday afternoon:

Today, my office received a warrant request from the Warren Police Department regarding an incident at De La Salle High School that took place on October 10, 2019. Many statements have been made in the media regarding young men that could be potential victims in this case. The warrant request provided to our office states that the only alleged victim to this particular incident:

“Does not wish to further charges and has declined to be interviewed by law enforcement.”

As previously disclosed to the Warren Police, one of our Senior Assistant Prosecutors is potentially a material witness in this matter, creating a conflict that precludes us from making the necessary charging decisions on this case. Therefore, to avoid any appearance of impropriety our office will request that another County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office review this matter as it relates to the actions of the individuals suspended by De La Salle officials.


About the Authors
Shawn Ley headshot

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Dane Kelly headshot

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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