Police in Breckenridge, Colo., concluded that no crime was committed during a Jan. 8 branding incident involving Kappa Sigma member Amon “Chance” Carter IV, according to a press release issued Thursday.
Police investigators and Summit County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert reviewed written statements from Carter and other university students along with photographs and video clips of the incident, according to the press release. Hurlbert agreed with police that there was no probable cause to believe a crime had been committed, according to the release.
“All the evidence suggests that Amon Carter IV was a willing participant and the branding was not part of any fraternity initiation, as he is already a full member,” police said.
Carter, a sophomore pre-business major, said in a Jan. 27 interview that he was intoxicated during the incident, which he said took place during a ski trip with several other fraternity members. He said he was branded with a hot coat hanger.
The announcement follows the conclusion of the university’s own investigation into the TCU chapter of Kappa Sigma. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Don Mills told the Skiff last week that the university found that the Kappa Sigma fraternity was not involved. However, an investigation into as many as 24 individual university students is still ongoing, Mills said.
Carter is the great-grandson of the university football stadium’s namesake, Amon G. Carter, a civic leader and founder of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.