Three members of one of Iowa State University’s oldest and biggest fraternities — including its vice president and risk manager — are being investigated for allegedly ordering one of their house mates and fraternity brothers to perform a sex act upon threat of violence, according to a series of criminal complaints filed this month.
The nearly-century-old Iowa State FarmHouse Fraternity chapter in a statement posted to social media Friday said the three members who were charged May 4 on suspicion of felony extortion, second-degree harassment, and assault have been placed on inactive status pending the criminal investigation.
“They no longer reside in the chapter facility and may not attend any event associated with the fraternity until further notice,” according to the statement. “FarmHouse has zero tolerance for assault or any conduct that violates a state and/or local law.”
Advertisement
FarmHouse members Grant Kuehnast, 21, of Humboldt; Colton Moore, 20, of Randolph; and Tyler Ekstrom, 20, of Sycamore, Ill. all were arrested May 4 and then released to a parent or guardian, according to the Ames Police Department.
All three face a trio of charges tied to an incident police said occurred at 10 p.m. Jan. 31 in the 311 Ash. Ave. FarmHouse Fraternity house east of Ames’ Campustown area.
The victim, according to search warrant documents, told investigators that when he went to his room in the house that night, he found Kuehnast and Moore on his bed. Irritated, the victim decided to try and sleep on a couch or futon in his study room, but Kuehnast, Moore, and Ekstrom followed him there.
“The victim and all three defendants in the case confirmed they were in the room at the time of the incident and of what occurred,” according to the search warrant.
The suspects are accused of ordering the victim to perform a sex act on one of them “or else he would be shot in the face and groin with an air soft gun,” according to police.
“While in the room with the victim, an air soft gun was brandished,” police reported, accusing Kuehnast of pointing the gun at the victim and threatening him multiple times. “He told the victim to commit a sex act on another defendant or he would be shot.”
Newsletter Signup
Delivered to your inbox every day
When the victim refused, according to police, Kuehnast started counting down. When he reached zero, “He fired the gun multiple times at the victim, putting him in fear of being injured,” according to police.
“The defendant and other defendants admitted to doing this to the victim and stated that the air soft gun would hurt and can cause injuries,” police reported.
During the alleged assault, the victim asked Ekstrom for help “since he was the vice president of the fraternity and the risk manager.”
“When asked if he would help the victim, (Ekstrom) replied, ‘I’m just here to make sure you don’t get shot,’” according to the police report.
After firing the gun, the three suspects started laughing and left the room, according to police. The victim, terrified, told officers, “This had been a culmination of what he described as bullying behavior mostly from Kuehnast.”
He outlined other bullying — including being flipped out of his bunk on several occasions and being called names — according to the police report.
After the incident, the defendant said Moore sent him a message via Snapchat apologizing “for what happened” and saying “they had gone too far,” police reported.
The victim said he felt unsafe at the house and left it in early February. When he didn’t return to school, according to the search warrant, “Kuehnast and Ekstrom reached out to him via Snapchat and phone to check on him.”
Police issued a search warrant for Snapchat messages from the three suspects and victim.
ISU officials did not immediately respond to The Gazette’s questions about whether administrators are investigating the fraternity or allegations it violated Interfraternity Council Bylaws.
The only Iowa State fraternities sanctioned in the last academic year were Theta Xi and Alpha Tau Omega. Although officials didn’t spell out the details of those chapters’ “prohibited conduct,” both had to draft written apologies to impacted parties.
www.thegazette.com
The nearly-century-old Iowa State FarmHouse Fraternity chapter in a statement posted to social media Friday said the three members who were charged May 4 on suspicion of felony extortion, second-degree harassment, and assault have been placed on inactive status pending the criminal investigation.
“They no longer reside in the chapter facility and may not attend any event associated with the fraternity until further notice,” according to the statement. “FarmHouse has zero tolerance for assault or any conduct that violates a state and/or local law.”
Advertisement
FarmHouse members Grant Kuehnast, 21, of Humboldt; Colton Moore, 20, of Randolph; and Tyler Ekstrom, 20, of Sycamore, Ill. all were arrested May 4 and then released to a parent or guardian, according to the Ames Police Department.
All three face a trio of charges tied to an incident police said occurred at 10 p.m. Jan. 31 in the 311 Ash. Ave. FarmHouse Fraternity house east of Ames’ Campustown area.
The victim, according to search warrant documents, told investigators that when he went to his room in the house that night, he found Kuehnast and Moore on his bed. Irritated, the victim decided to try and sleep on a couch or futon in his study room, but Kuehnast, Moore, and Ekstrom followed him there.
“The victim and all three defendants in the case confirmed they were in the room at the time of the incident and of what occurred,” according to the search warrant.
The suspects are accused of ordering the victim to perform a sex act on one of them “or else he would be shot in the face and groin with an air soft gun,” according to police.
“While in the room with the victim, an air soft gun was brandished,” police reported, accusing Kuehnast of pointing the gun at the victim and threatening him multiple times. “He told the victim to commit a sex act on another defendant or he would be shot.”
Daily News
Newsletter Signup
When the victim refused, according to police, Kuehnast started counting down. When he reached zero, “He fired the gun multiple times at the victim, putting him in fear of being injured,” according to police.
“The defendant and other defendants admitted to doing this to the victim and stated that the air soft gun would hurt and can cause injuries,” police reported.
During the alleged assault, the victim asked Ekstrom for help “since he was the vice president of the fraternity and the risk manager.”
“When asked if he would help the victim, (Ekstrom) replied, ‘I’m just here to make sure you don’t get shot,’” according to the police report.
After firing the gun, the three suspects started laughing and left the room, according to police. The victim, terrified, told officers, “This had been a culmination of what he described as bullying behavior mostly from Kuehnast.”
He outlined other bullying — including being flipped out of his bunk on several occasions and being called names — according to the police report.
After the incident, the defendant said Moore sent him a message via Snapchat apologizing “for what happened” and saying “they had gone too far,” police reported.
The victim said he felt unsafe at the house and left it in early February. When he didn’t return to school, according to the search warrant, “Kuehnast and Ekstrom reached out to him via Snapchat and phone to check on him.”
Police issued a search warrant for Snapchat messages from the three suspects and victim.
ISU officials did not immediately respond to The Gazette’s questions about whether administrators are investigating the fraternity or allegations it violated Interfraternity Council Bylaws.
The only Iowa State fraternities sanctioned in the last academic year were Theta Xi and Alpha Tau Omega. Although officials didn’t spell out the details of those chapters’ “prohibited conduct,” both had to draft written apologies to impacted parties.
Three ISU fraternity members accused of assault, extorting brother for sex
Three members of one of Iowa State University’s oldest and biggest fraternities – including its vice president and risk manager – are being investigated for allegedly ordering one of their house mates and fraternity brothers to perform a sex act upon threat of violence, according to a series of...
www.thegazette.com
