Miami suspends two fraternities in fireworks battle

Miami University suspended two fraternities Thursday following an incident last weekend involving a fireworks battle between the frat houses that led police to find a large cache of illegal drugs

The suspensions, which are temporary, were i New Balance Store ssued for Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Kappa Tau, pending a full investigation, according to a university statement.

Because of the suspensions, 37 sophomore members at the fraternities will need to move to campus New Balance Store due to Miami’s residence requirements.

“Student organizations are expected to provide opportunities for the positive development of students in an educational and safe environment. Based on what we know at this time it appears that was not the case at Miami’s Phi Kappa Tau and Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter houses,” said Barbara Jones, vice president for student affairs at Miami. Sunday when a fire alarm went off at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, 310 N. Tallawanda Road, next door to the Phi Kappa Tau house at 320 N. Tallawanda Road.

When police arrived, they saw a person shooting fireworks from the third floor of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house at the Phi Kappa Tau house. Police later learned that students from both fraternity houses had allegedly been shooting fireworks at each other.

Police asked to enter the frat houses, but were turned away. They later returned with search warrants to look for explosives and they found much more.

Unmarked bottles of pills, scales, bongs, grinders, bags of marijuana and containers of white powder suspected to be cocaine were found among a stash of fireworks in the two houses, according to court documents.

At the Phi Kappa Tau house, 26 items were seized, according to search warrants obtained Thursday by the Middletown Journal/Hamilton JournalNews. Those items include an unlabeled prescription bottle with three different types of pills, a bag of marijuana and two marijuana pipes.

From one room at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, police seized two bongs, small bags with white powder, rolling papers, a jar with marijuana, scales, a grinder and a safe.

Bongs, multiple grinders, rolling papers, jars and bags of marijuana, a fake ID and a plethora of fireworks were also found at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, according to the search war New Balance Store rants.

Brandon Weghorst, Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s associate executive director for communication, said the chapter leadership of the house at Miami has already suspended six of its members who were involved in the incident. In a short statement, Weghorst said the membership suspensions were “for failing to comply with risk management regulations.”

“The national organization maintains stringent guidelines for all of its members regarding risk management, chapter house safety and illegal substances, and we do not condone actions that breach our policies,” he said.

Weghorst said, “there’s always a possibility that additional sanction New Balance Store s may be imposed on the chapter once the investigation is completed.”

As of Thursday afternoon, charges had not been filed against any of the students, but police and fire officials have said charges are pending. They are awaiting test results.

Miami skycaps took cash for extra bags

The initial arrests were made on Wednesday. Miami Dade County police said they are also investigating American Airlines t New Balance Store icket agents and others who may have worked with the skycaps. airports, as well as nine in Latin America. The bags all went on American flights.Transportation Security Administration Miami Security Director Mark Hatfield said he did not believe the scam posed a security risk.”In any criminal investigation, we always look for a nexus to security. In this case, we’re satisfied that there is none,” he said.But police spokesman Detective Roy Rutland said investigators think some of the luggage checked by the skycaps could have gone onto planes without passing through security.”There were bags that may have been moved by baggage handlers working with others onto the aircraft without getting scanned,” Rutland said.Al New Balance Store l checked bags at t New Balance Store he airport are supposed to be inspected by the TSA. Those checked at the curb are immediately put on a belt that goes directly into the TSA security area. In the American Airlines terminal where the scheme allegedly took place, those checked at the ticket counter are hand delivered by passengers or porters to the TSA inspection machines. All other luggage carried onto a plane must pass through the passenger security checkpoint area.Skycaps at the Miami airport can waive fees for wheelchairs, strollers or for bags belonging to military personnel. Police say they used those exceptions to waive fees and check in unreported boxes and bags.”We take these matters quite seriously and have no patience for this type of behavior. Those arrested are no longer employed by the contractor and are not performing any work on our behalf,” American New Balance Store Airlines said in a statement.Eulen CEO Luis Rodriguez said his company was “deeply saddened by the situation.” But he added in a statement: “It does not reflect on the approximately 1,400 Eulen America currently employed at Miami International Airport, or the more than 31,000 employees working throughout the Americas.”Rutland said the investigation began in February when American Airlines alerted police to unclaimed and unregistered baggage that was ready to go to Bolivia without a passenger. Investigators believe the travelers were mostly from individuals shipping goods to Latin America and that the scam may have netted the skycaps tens of thousands of dollars. Those sending the baggage were likely seeking to avoid cargo fees by shipping merchandise as luggage, he said.The extra baggage would have added weight to the plane, but Steve Lott, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents the major airlines, said it was unlikely enough to have posed a safety risk. At most, the extra baggage would have caused the aircraft to use up more fuel, but airplanes always fly with a reserve, he said. A large increase in luggage would have been most significant on a smaller aircraft but it would have been noticed.