Plea Deal Deadline Looms in Wheaton College Hazing Case

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Chicago Daily Herald

 

A deadline looms next week for three of the five former Wheaton College football players accused of injuring a teammate during a 2016 hazing. DuPage County prosecutors have said their plea offers to Kyler Kregel, Benjamin Pettway and Samuel TeBos expire on May 31, after which they will have to take their chances at trial. A similar offer was revoked from James Cooksey earlier this month when he declared his intent to have a bench trial on July 10. Prosecutors declined to reveal details of the possible plea deals, but the offers are believed to be similar to the one another former player, Noah Spielman, took in March when he pleaded guilty to a single charge of misdemeanor battery and received one year of conditional discharge and 100 hours of community service.

The remaining players face felony charges of aggravated battery, unlawful restraint and mob action. The men are accused of abducting teammate Charles Nagy, now 21, from his dorm on March 19, 2016, putting a pillowcase over his head, binding him with duct tape, placing him into a pickup truck and driving him to a baseball field near Hawthorne Elementary School in Wheaton. Prosecutors said the defendants are accused of repeatedly punching and kicking Nagy, kicking dirt on him and then leaving him partially nude on the field. Authorities say Nagy suffered two torn labra as a result of being bound with duct tape, but defense attorneys are now studying his medical records to determine whether he had pre-existing issues. Attorney Paul DeLuca, who represents Kregel, and attorney Richard Kayne, who represents Pettway, both said Wednesday they are not yet sure which path their clients will take. Attorney Todd Pugh, who represents Samuel TeBos, could not be reached for comment. "We have not decided yet," DeLuca said. "(We're) just going through Nagy's medical reports." Kregel has a May 29 court date, while TeBos and Pettway aren't expected back in court until June 5. Nagy also filed a civil suit against Wheaton College, which names Kregel, TeBos, Cooksey and Pettway. In the suit Nagy says the college ignored the hazing. The civil case will next be heard on May 30.

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May 24, 2018
 
 
 

 

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