Second PSU fraternity member pleads guilty
a The Associated Press
BELLEFONTE, Pa. — A former Penn State fraternity member pleaded guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanor charges filed as a result of a pledge’s death last year after a night of drinking and hazing.
Joseph G. Ems Jr. pleaded guilty to hazing and an alcohol offense and was scheduled for sentencing Sept. 27. Mr. Ems was charged as result of the investigation into the death of Tim Piazza, 19, of Lebanon, N.J., who suffered severe head and abdominal injuries in February 2017, the night he consumed a dangerous amount of alcohol at the Beta Theta Pi house.
Mr. Ems, 22, of Philadelphia, is the second member of the now-closed fraternity to plead guilty. Both charges against him relate to his behavior with another pledge, not Mr. Piazza.
The other fraternity member, Ryan Burke, was sentenced last week to house arrest and probation for four counts of hazing and five alcohol-related violations.
Messages seeking comment from the attorney general’s office were not immediately returned. Mr. Ems’ lawyer declined comment.
Mr. Ems originally was charged in May 2017 with a single count of reckless endangerment. A grand jury report claimed he was one of four people to strap a backpack loaded with books onto Mr. Piazza to prevent him from rolling over. That grand jury report also alleged that Mr. Ems participated, with two others, in picking up Mr. Piazza from the floor and slamming him onto a couch.
After a marathon preliminary hearing, a district judgedismissed that charge.
Prosecutors cited security video footage recovered by the FBI in charging him with new allegations in November.