Police Arrest 4 FAMU Clarinetists in Hazing Case; Trombonist Allahandro Bradford Booted Off Campus for One Year

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -  Four more students are under arrest in the Florida A&M hazing scandal, but not for the death of a drum major. Police said the group attacked five clarinet players pledging a secret group, and the new arrests brings the total to seven students charged in hazing cases.

WFTV's Daralene Jones learned that the four new suspects are still on campus, despite the accusations. University officials said they are in the process of drafting dismissal letters, and students have to receive the letter before they can be kicked out of school.

Hakeem Birch, Anthony Mingo and Denise Bailey were headed to class late Thursday when FAMU police arrested them on a warrant for misdemeanor hazing. Brandon Benson turned himself in after he heard campus police were looking for him.  Mingo also was arrested on misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of narcotics equipment.

DOCUMENT: Hazing Incident Arrest Warrant

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RENEWED REQUEST FOR FULL REINSTATEMENT OF BAND DIRECTOR

TALLAHASSEE — Four Florida A&M Univeristy students were charged and arrested yesterday due to alleged hazing incidents which occurred before the death of drum Robert Champion. These incidents, according to the Probable Cause Affadavit issued by the FAMU police department, were reported in November 2011 by Dr. Julian White, director of bands.

The students, Hakeem B. Birch, Denise Lashawn Bailey, Anthony Mingo and Brandon X. Benson are members of “The Clones,” an illegal and unsanctioned clique loosely affiliated with the band’s clarinet section.

Bailey was suspended by Dr. White last year for missing rehearsals, and was not a member of the Marching 100 during the fall 2011 semester. Birch, Mingo and Benson were members of the band when the hazing incident occurred. White issued letters of suspension and withheld scholarships of all students whose names were provided to him once the incident was reported. White initially reported the incident to FAMU police chief Calvin Ross, and was subsequently instructed to provide information to Investigator John Cotton.

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FAMU BAND MEMBER SAYS HE WAS HARASSED

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - Florida A&M University police have ordered a Marching 100 band member to stay away from campus for a year. Police say the student was harassing another band member.

According to police documents, 21 year old Joshua Thomas says he was verbally harassed by 20 year old Allahandro Bradford for not joining the band's underground trombone subsection, known as Thunder. Thomas said he wanted to report the incidents before the situation became violent.



FAMU President James Ammons told ABC27 Thursday it's important for students to report hazing or harassment right away.

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