Man pleads guilty to charges in hazing death

BOWLING GREEN — A Cleveland man has pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and several other charges for his role in the death of Bowling Green State University student Stone Foltz in a hazing incident in 2021.

Daylen Dunson, 22, also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, obstructing official business, eight counts of misdemeanor hazing, and seven counts regarding providing alcohol to underage persons, the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune reports. Dunson is the sixth person to plead guilty to charges connected to Foltz’s death.

Dunson will be sentenced on June 16. He faces a maximum of three years in prison for the reckless homicide charge and up to one year in prison for obstructing justice. The other charges each have maximum penalties of 30 days to six months in jail.

On March 4, 2021, Foltz, 20, attended a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity event at an off-campus location, authorities say. Anyone pledging the fraternity had to drink a “handle,” of liquor, which is about 40 1.5-ounce shots.

Foltz was taken back to his house after the event and his roommates found him the following morning. He was first taken to Wood County Hospital in Bowling Green, then flown to ProMedica Toledo Hospital. He died three days later after he was put on life support and his family arranged to have his organs donated.

Dunson was the president of the fraternity when Foltz died. Wood County prosecutor Paul Dobson said Dunson lied to police when questioned about Foltz’s death and also told others to lie about the fraternity event. He also deleted social-media posts about the event in hopes of hiding it from authorities, Dobson said.

“We continue to be grateful for Mr. Dobson and his team,” the Foltz family said in a statement, according to the Sentinel-Tribune. “We are relying on the judicial system to hold these men accountable for their actions. Having six of the eight men charged plead guilty is a start. Hazing is deadly and we lost our 20-year-old son to these senseless acts.”

Last week, Ben Boyers of Sylvania, Ohio, and Jarrett Prizel of Olean, N.Y., both entered guilty pleas for reckless homicide in connection with Foltz’s death.