Hate crime in Salisbury: Seven people arrested in investigation

Seven Salisbury University students have been arrested and charged over an alleged attack on a gay man that police are investigating as a hate crime.

Salisbury police said the seven men, ages 18 to 20, used a social media account to invite a man to an apartment complex near the university “under false pretenses” on Oct. 15 and then attacked the man. who they said was targeted based on sexual preferences.

The suspects were each charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and related hate crimes, police said in a Facebook post.

However, an attorney for one of the defendants, 18-year-old Zachary Leinemann, said the situation had nothing to do with the victim's sexual orientation.

Attorney James L. Britt said the alleged victim was a man in his 40s who he said propositioned a 16-year-old. “Once all the facts come to light, this case will prove to be an ill-advised attempt to expose someone willing to travel to have sexual relations with a 16-year-old child,” he wrote in an email.

Salisbury Police's statement on the investigation and assault allegations said the victim was called “derogatory” names, spat at, kicked and punched for several minutes before he was allowed to leave the location.

The victim, who is named in charging documents but does not give his age, told police he did not tell them about the attack because he was threatened and feared for his safety.

Police obtained cell phone video of the incident that showed the victim's license plate, which authorities used to locate the victim, police said in charging documents.

The victim told police he was “lured” by Leinemann on Oct. 15 to an apartment in the 1400 block of University Terrace in Salisbury. The victim said he met Leinemann on the dating app Grindr and then spoke via text message and Snapchat.

The victim said he traveled to the apartment to have sex, police charging documents state.

“It should be noted that Leinemann portrayed himself as a 16-year-old, which was confirmed by [the victim] via messaging,” an officer identified only as Cpl. Foy wrote in charging documents. Police reviewed video of the incident, Foy wrote.

Leinemann let the victim into the apartment and, after the victim closed the door, signaled about 15 other men to come out of the apartment's bedrooms, according to charging documents. The victim was then recorded being “assaulted and humiliated,” Foy wrote.

According to charging documents, the victim was slapped, punched, kicked, spit on, hit repeatedly in the head with a cooking pan, shot at with a salt gun, doused with water and insulted and other derogatory insults.

Police said the victim repeatedly tried to escape the apartment but was thrown to the ground.

The victim told police he suffered a broken rib and believed he was targeted because of his homosexuality.

The seven suspects are all Salisbury University students and some are members of the fraternity, the school's president said in a statement. In addition to Leinemann, of Crofton, they are: Ryder Baker, 20, of Olney; Bennan Aird, 18, of Milton, Delaware; Riley Brister, 20, of Davidsonville; Cruz Cespedes, 19, of Jarrettsville; Dylan Earp, 20, of Gambrills; and Elijah Johnson, 19, of Crofton.

Steven Rakow, an attorney representing Brister, told WJZ his client plans to plead not guilty. “There is more to the story than what is reported in the press,” said Rakow.

Court records show all seven were released on their own recognizance under electronic monitoring.

No attorney is listed for anyone except Leinemann, and the hearings are scheduled for early December. Leinemann's trial is scheduled for December 20th.

In a letter to the Salisbury University community, President Carolyn Ringer Lepre said she was missing the right words and that words “feel inadequate to fully express the weight of shock and disbelief we all share.”

She wrote that the university was unable to provide many details, citing an ongoing investigation, but said the school's Office of Student Affairs would take “appropriate interim suspension action.”

“The thought of SU students committing any crime is disturbing, but the thought of SU students committing crimes of such a disturbing nature is truly frightening,” she wrote. “So, let me clarify. We are dismayed by these allegations. I am dismayed by these allegations.”

Salisbury University, located on the east coast, issued a statement condemning the attack. “Any student who commits an act of violence will face criminal charges and disciplinary action in accordance with SU’s Student Code of Community Standards,” the university wrote. “The crimes described are in direct contradiction to the values ​​of Salisbury University and what we stand for. Hate has no place at SU.”

Police ask anyone with information to contact the department at 410-548-3165.

WJZ, a media partner of The Baltimore Banner, contributed to this report.