2 adults, 1 student charged in hazing incident

By Megan Reichgott
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

   SKOKIE — Two adults and a student were charged Wednesday with supplying alcohol to suburban Chicago high school students involved in a brutal hazing incident.

  Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine said Christine Neal, 49, of Northbrook, was charged with delivery of alcohol to a minor for purchasing three kegs of beer, two of which were found at the forest preserve where the hazing took place.

  Marcy Spiwak, 49, was charged with allowing her home to be used for underaged drinking.

  Neal is the mother of Dominic Vargas, 18, a student who was charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor. Devine said Vargas brought the kegs to the May 4 "powder puff" event.

  "It is my firm belief that the violence that we all saw on the tapes from the melee at Chipilly Woods was fueled by alcohol," Devine said. "The adults who bought this liquor or hosted a party where beer was consumed will be held accountable for their irresponsible actions."

  Videotape of the hazing shows junior girls from Glenbrook North High School being covered with mud, paint, feces and garbage as onlookers, some hoisting beer cups, cheered.

  Neal allegedly bought the beer May 2 for use by the students on the morning of the hazing, Devine said.

  Neal was arrested Tuesday and released after posting $100 bond. Vargas also was released after posting $100 bond.

  An arrest warrant had been issued for Spiwak, who is the mother of a junior girl who was at the hazing.

  All charges carry a maximum punishment of a year in jail. The adults also face a fine of at least $500 dollars.

  Vargas was among the 15 students who last week were charged with misdemeanor battery in the incident in suburban Northbrook. Some 31 students — all but three of them girls — have received 10-day suspensions.

  Several students have filed lawsuits to appeal their suspensions. The students, their parents and attorneys also will be allowed to appeal the suspensions through the school's formal review hearings, which are scheduled for today and Friday.

  Some high school juniors who were victims in the incident also have been suspended from the prom and other extracurricular activities and could face other punishment, school officials said.

05/22/03