12 college-aged Maryland men have been arrested after they allegedly lured an older man to an off-campus location under the false pretense of meeting up with a 16-year-old and assaulted him, police say.
The Salisbury Police Department was contacted by the Salisbury University Police on Oct. 31, after the latter received a cell-phone video of multiple men beating an older man.
Upon identifying and tracking down the victim, law enforcement was told that the group of men created a fake profile on a dating app and used it to lure the victim to a home on University Terrace on Oct. 15, according to charging documents obtained by WBOC.
The men reportedly created a fake profile on the dating app Grindr, pretending to be a 16-year-old boy. The profile was operated by an individual identified by law enforcement as Zachary Leinemann. Upon meeting on Grindr, Leinemann and the victim began speaking and eventually shifted their conversations to over text and through Snapchat.
Maryland state law puts the age of sexual consent at 16 years old.
Leinemann then encouraged the victim to visit him at the home on University Terrace under the pretense of sex with the 16-year-old. The victim told law enforcement that he was then brutally beaten by a group of over 15 men. He stated that he was made to be seated in the center of the room while the men punched, kicked and spit on him. They continually called him him derogatory names.
The victim tried to leave multiple times, but was prevented from doing so by being thrown onto the ground. Investigators say he was allowed to leave after several minutes of being beaten.
The victim, who was confirmed as not a Salisbury University student, stated that he feared for his safety and believed he was targeted due to his sexuality. He sustained bruising all over his body and broken ribs from the assault.
Seven members and affiliates of a Salisbury University fraternity have been identified as suspects, including Ryder Baker, Bennan Aird, Riley Brister, Cruz Cespedes, Dylan Earp, Elijah Johnson and Zachary Leinemann.
Five additional Salisbury University students were arrested: Cameron Guy, Jacob Howard, Eric Sinclair, Patrick Guierrez and Dylan Pietuszka.
All of the men arrested have been charged with assault in the first degree, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and the associated hate crime charges.
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