‘SICK JOKE’

Family of Teen in Viral ‘Hazing’ Video Slam Police After Arrests

“At the end of the day, he was mistreated in inhumane ways.”

The family of a teenager who nearly died after drinking a large amount of alcohol at a party in Georgia has criticized police after arrests were made in the case. Trent Lehrkamp, 19, was placed on a ventilator after the March 21 party in Saint Simons Island. Allegations of abuse circulated online after images surfaced showing Lehrkamp passed out in a chair and covered with various objects and substances, with another video showing him being sprayed with a hose. James Carlton Strother, 46, and his wife Lauren Strother, 57, who owned the house where the party took place, were arrested on charges of maintaining a disorderly house and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, police said. At a news conference Monday, Glynn County District Attorney Keith Higgins said law enforcement was slow in investigating the case due to misinformation about the case being shared online, clarifying that Lehrkamp had voluntarily drunk the alcohol and police did not believe he had been tortured or beaten. “Today it was evident that they wanted to address and correct what the kids didn’t do,” Lehrkamp’s family said in a statement after the media briefing, “But not recognize or acknowledge the fact of what was done to Trent.” “At the end of the day, he was mistreated in inhumane ways,” they added, calling his treatment a “sick joke” carried out for “disgusting fun and games.”