Overview
- Police responded to an anonymous tip about the Alpha Epsilon Pi house and found about 30 people in the basement, most described as 18‑year‑old pledges, during a September 23 incident.
- Madison officers arrested Brayden J. Klein and Samuel N. Vane on suspicion of misdemeanor hazing and disorderly conduct and the two were released on $400 bonds after booking.
- On Nov. 2, Dane County District Attorney Ismael R. Ozanne declined the criminal referral, saying the evidence would not meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Officers reported visible injuries on several pledges, a basement thermostat set near 81°F, and pledges covered in food and condiments, details that shaped the police investigation but not a prosecutable case.
- Alpha Epsilon Pi’s national headquarters has suspended the Madison chapter’s programming and opened its own probe, and UW–Madison reiterated anonymous reporting and hazing‑prevention resources since the chapter operates unaffiliated with the university.